Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-09-25-Speech-2-260"
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"en.20070925.31.2-260"2
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"From the outset the Portuguese Presidency’s programme included holding a summit meeting with Brazil. It became clear that the parties would propose laying the foundations for establishing a strategic partnership. It does not therefore make much sense to express any surprise or concern now about disregard for Mercosur and undue or premature favouring of Brazil.
The scale of the Brazilian trade market for European exporters must not be underestimated. The European Union cannot lose the opportunity of obtaining a strategic partnership with Brazil. The facts show that the European Union’s relations with Mercosur and Brazil respectively are already condemned to go at different speeds. It is not ideal, but there is no evidence that one going faster does any harm to the other. On the contrary, it might even be a strong incentive to speed things up.
Brazil today is an emerging world power, the only one among the Mercosur member states, with a market representing 85% of the Mercosur market. It is a representative democracy. It is one of the European Union’s principal trade partners and a country whose 200 million inhabitants speak one of the most widespread European languages in the world – Portuguese – and whose values of civilisation and culture are closely related to those of Europe. Without prejudice to the advantages which real progress in relations with Mercosur would mean for the EU, I do not think there is or ever has been any weighty argument in favour of delaying advancement and enhancement of our relationship with Brazil. Nor is it up to the European Union to oversee the internal ups and downs between Mercosur members.
To think otherwise and to put off indefinitely the achievement of the Union’s very important objectives, with respect, is to indulge in wishful thinking that is incompatible with the present day situation, acting as though our plans and wishes had come true, when they have not and we do not know when they will."@en1
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