Brazilian sees access to EU markets as priority for Mercosur

Brazilian Foreign Minister Aloysio Nunes said Tuesday that accessing the EU market is a priority for Mercosur after almost 20 years of negotiations without agreement.

"We are very hard to secure a deal between Mercosur and the European Union to gain access to its market, to receive more investments. This is our priority...to put this agreement in place," said Nunes during an EU-Brazil business summit in Sao Paulo.

The forum was attended by Brazil's President Michel Temer, Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, and business representatives from both sides, in order to develop bilateral ties.

Nunes compared the economic situation of both countries. "Spain saw a drop in its GDP of 10 percent over five years. We have lost 10 percent in two years in Brazil. The path is to control inflation, control public spending, modernize the State, realize the labor reforms that are needed, as well as the pensions."

During the forum, former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso also discussed the consequences of globalization on job distribution.

"Globalization, as a result of job development, increases productivity, increases salaries but does not increase employment. This is a problem. We must face this topic, which is not only economic. It is political, social and economic, all at once," he commented.

Cardoso referred to a conversation he had with Mexican tycoon, Carlos Slim. "A while ago, he told me he was trying to convince his friends in Europe to reduce the length of the work day. It may seem absurd to reduce it but how are we going to give work to people with the rise in productivity which is drawing near?" he concluded. Endit