03/28/2024 – 19:30
Weakened internationally and criticized at home, the French president prioritized a sustainable and business agenda while traveling. Experts see the geopolitical protagonism of Brazil and France as closer to the Global South. On a visit to Brazil, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, guided meetings and discussions with politicians and businesspeople around the environmental agenda and business promotion between the two countries . The French leader intended to promote a positive agenda around these themes. But the trip also benefited Brazil's image as an agent of global politics.
At the end of the agenda, which ended this Thursday (28/03), Macron and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva signed 20 acts of cooperation that provide, among other points, for the creation of a 1 billion euro fund ( R$5.41 billion) for the preservation of the Amazon forest, a biome that also covers French Guiana. The public and private investment raised will be applied to biodiversity actions and combating illegal mining.
For the professor of International Relations at ESPM, Carolina Pavese, the meeting represented an effective step forward with the beginning of a work agenda in these sectors. “A sustainable strategic partnership was established in the medium and long term. The emphasis on the environmental agenda is an attempt to respond to some of the criticism that Macron faces for turning his back on the issue of sustainability in his government.”
“The discourse regarding the Amazon has deviated from the traditional. France did not adopt the posture of dominion, it came with the image more of a partner”, pondered geopolitical analyst Marco Alves. “Brazil has positioned itself geopolitically as a leader in sustainability, and France is a leader in renewable energy, it’s a win-win. I believe they both needed this moment, France more than Brazil.”
Partnership
The official photos released by Planalto's advisors went viral on social media after internet users compared the images with bride and groom rehearsals and also with scenes from romantic comedy films, and reinforce the friendly tone between the two heads of Executive.
For experts, Lula managed to increase his political capital with the agenda, which could partially reverse the president's drop in popularity, especially among business groups. “For France, the reach is very distant, the French population did not benefit from the visit, unlike Brazilians with investments in health, education and technology”, says Pavese.
International scene
For Alves, after the indisposition of other European powers with France's positions on the war in Ukraine and the conflict in Gaza, the withdrawal of French troops in the former African colonies in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger and the little presence in Asia, the French They had no alternative but to return to South America.
This, in fact, was Macron's first visit to the continent since being elected in 2017. “France, from an international point of view, especially with Macron, is losing space. He joins Lula, who has a very positive image abroad, it is a way for France to revalue itself in this context”, assesses Alves. With the alliance with Brazil, Macron reinforced France's defense of multilateralism.
In November, Brazil will host the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, and the French president announced that he will be present. “This rapprochement with Brazil opens the door for the French to establish a channel of dialogue with other members of the group, mainly from the Global South”, says Pavese. She says that France seeks to position itself as a leader in dialogue between the region and European countries.
Internally, Macron is the target of protests over economic and social policies. He is accused of valuing foreign policy more than France's internal problems. “The trip served to reinforce this image”, says Pavese.
Business
At the meeting in São Paulo for the Brazil-France Economic Forum, Macron bet on closing contracts between French and Brazilian companies. “The opening of this market represents the resumption of direct investments from France to Brazil. I spoke to French businesspeople who were at Fiesp, and they were half-hearted: some were enthusiastic about the agreements, others wanted to pay and see”, reported Alves.
In Itajaí (RJ), Macron participated alongside Lula in the launch of the Tonelero submarine, which is part of the Franco-Brazilian cooperation in the production of submarines – one of them with nuclear propulsion. The R$40 billion agreement was expanded to promote the construction of helicopters through the purchase of French technology.
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