Lisbon, April 21, 2026 (Lusa) - Portugal's prime minister, Luís Montenegro, promised on Tuesday the country would be a "partner" for Brazil to project itself more deeply into the European economy when the European Union-Mercosur (a South American trade bloc) agreement takes effect in May.
The prime minister spoke alongside Brazil’s president, Lula da Silva, after a meeting lasting about an hour at the prime minister’s official residence.
"Regarding the future, we are very committed, and I know it is reciprocal, to deepening everything to do with the implementation and entry into force, albeit provisionally on this occasion, of the agreement between the European Union and Mercosur," he said.
Portugal has been "an uncompromising defender of this agreement", he said, adding that Brazil was also decisive in its implementation after more than 20 years of negotiations.
"This agreement marks a historical moment from which Brazil can project itself more objectively and deeply into the European economy and Portugal will be a partner in this path," he promised.
Conversely, he said, "Portugal will be a motor for deepening relations in the opposite direction."
"Whether it is economic relations that take Portuguese companies to Brazil, and there are many, or as a point of contact between European companies and economic cooperation development projects on a European scale in Brazil," he said.
He hoped economic partnerships between the two countries would continue to bring Portugal distinctions such as "economy of the year" by The Economist in 2025, or "make Brazil’s economy South America’s largest."
"Today we have great partnerships from an aeronautical point of view, from a defence industry point of view, but also in terms of energy, scientific knowledge, technology and health, and this is what we want to continue to develop in the coming years," he said.
Montenegro ended his statement, in which he neither answered questions, wishing that, in the near future, "the world lives more peacefully, lives in times of greater stability and less dependence on those who want to assume positions of hegemony."
"The best way for us to have a balanced world is to have diversification between political and commercial spaces, and the link between Portugal and Brazil is fundamental so that this diversity can build a world order with more balance and, through that balance, with more peace and, through peace, with more social justice," he said.
The EU-Mercosur trade deal will take effect provisionally on 1 May.
The agreement cannot be fully concluded until the European Parliament approves it. This process is currently on hold after MEPs decided in January to refer the agreement to the EU Court of Justice for verification of its compliance with EU law.
The agreement, signed on 17 January after more than 20 years of negotiations, aims to eliminate or drastically reduce tariffs between the two blocs.
Besides trade, it also includes a political partnership that requires ratification by all member states.
The Southern Common Market (Mercosur) is a South American intergovernmental organisation founded in 1991, based in Montevideo.
It is one of the largest economic blocs by gross domestic product (GDP) and the world’s largest food producer, including Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
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