Green transition and artificial intelligence will be discussed by Macron on visit to Brazil – 03/01/2024 – Market

Green transition, digital environment and artificial intelligence are some of the topics that should be on French President Emmanuel Macron’s discussion agenda on his first official visit to Brazil, at the end of March.

Macron’s visit to the country could include four cities, according to a Brazilian diplomatic source.

The arrival is scheduled for Belém, headquarters of COP30 in 2025, where the French leader is expected to be received by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

Next, the itinerary still under discussion foresees passages through Brasília, Itaguaí (RJ) —base of the Prosub complex (Submarine Development Program)— and São Paulo.

Macron’s trip is part of the diplomatic rapprochement between Brazil and France since Lula returned to command of the country in 2023. The gesture comes after years of political animosity with the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government and the impacts of the Covid pandemic- 19.

One of Lula’s main interlocutors in Europe, Macron contributed to the PT member’s rehabilitation on the international stage after receiving him at the Élysée Palace, headquarters of the French presidency in Paris, still in 2021, with a protocol equivalent to that reserved for heads of state.

According to a source in French diplomacy, Lula and Macron’s relationship is based on a comparable worldview, and the two leaders play an important role against the fragmentation of the international community.

In this sense, France has publicly demonstrated support for the priorities of the Brazilian presidency of the G20 and sees poverty reduction, the fight against hunger and investments in the ecological transition as a common agenda.

Macron’s arrival will shed light on the climate, energy and biodiversity protection debate and could help boost financing partnerships to enable the green transition.

A topic of shared interest is the Brazilian plan to make the Northeast a potential hub for the production of green hydrogen, a fuel obtained through renewable energy sources.

Ceará is the Brazilian state with the largest number of investment projects planned in this sector.

The global demand for green hydrogen could be an opportunity for Brazil’s insertion in a global economy based on the transition to low carbon.

In this sense, France and other European countries have so far had a favorable assessment of the Lula government’s environmental policy, according to reports made to Sheet.

The work done by the PT administration to preserve the Amazon is seen with good will by Europeans, especially after the Bolsonaro government’s setback on environmental issues.

There is an understanding that the measures taken by the current administration take time to have an effect and that it is necessary to persevere to achieve better results. The threat to other Brazilian biomes, however, is a warning sign.

The first year of President Lula’s third term was marked by a 50% reduction in deforestation in the Amazon forest in 2023, compared to the previous year’s rates. In parallel, the data shows record growth in vegetation loss in the cerrado, with an increase of 43%.

A member of French diplomacy told Sheet that Europe’s collaboration involves the search for a non-punitive solution, without threatening Brazil’s sovereignty over its territory.

During the Bolsonaro government, one of the main diplomatic frictions occurred because of accusations by the former president that Macron was trying to interfere with Brazil’s sovereignty on environmental issues.

In June last year, Macron renewed the promise for rich countries to make US$100 billion (about R$494 billion) available annually for actions to combat climate change in the most vulnerable nations. Originally, the promise was made at COP15, in 2009, and had a deadline of 2020 — which was not fulfilled.

In October last year, AFD (French Development Agency) signed a memorandum of understanding with BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development) aiming to jointly support up to 500 million euros in projects in Brazil.

Among the objectives was the creation and implementation of new instruments for the Brazilian development bank’s activities in sustainable and climate finance, with an emphasis on industrialization and green innovation. In the coming years, the European entity plans to expand its investment portfolio in Brazil.

On Friday (23), the vice-president and minister of Mdic (Development, Industry, Commerce and Services), Geraldo Alckmin, received the French ambassador to Brazil, Emmanuel Lenain, at Palácio do Planalto, to talk about relations trade between the two countries.

According to a report made to Sheet by a Brazilian government interlocutor, one of the topics referred to Helibras, a national company that produces helicopters for civil and military use.

At the meeting, the authorities talked about the proposal to relaunch the cooperation program, with mention of Macron’s visit to Brazil, and discussed the possibilities of expanding helicopter production.

OTHER TOPICS

During his visit to Brazil, Macron is also expected to discuss issues related to the digital environment, artificial intelligence and the space sector.

The debate about technology and innovation gains weight with the popularization of AI-powered political disinformation at a time when around half of the planet’s population goes to the polls this year. Regulation of the use of artificial intelligence in elections is still in its infancy.

In the European Union, the AI ​​law was approved in December and is not yet in force. In Brazil, the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) forced the use of labels informing the use of artificial intelligence in political advertisements and prohibited the technology from being applied to tamper with audio and videos.

The Defense sector is also a sensitive point of discussion between countries. Last year, Brazil negotiated with France a complement to the agreement for the construction of a nuclear-powered submarine, a project to which it has been dedicated for 45 years.

The negotiation is part of a strategic partnership agreement signed in 2008 that includes Prosub, the Brazilian submarine program.

A particularity in the relationship between the two countries is cooperation on cross-border issues, since Brazil is the country with the longest border with French territory — 730.4 km long with French Guiana.

Among the concerns of neighboring countries are illegal mining, contamination caused by mercury and security issues, in addition to the migratory flow.