The Foreign Policy Agenda Vacuum

02/21/2014 - 09h05

The news that President Dilma Rousseff had decided to go back and decided to "uncancel" her presence at the Summit with the European Union in Brussels, 24, was received with a huge sigh of relief.

Despite being a bilateral meeting, it is inevitable that an EU-Mercosur agreement would emerge. Mercosur has not reached a satisfactory offer, still dealing with the obstacles imposed by Argentina.

It is expected that the two blocks can make an offer exchange in mid-March. (Europeans also postponed their offers presentation in December for lack of an agreement in regards to the opening of the agricultural sector).

The agreement with Europeans is seen as a high priority in the Brazilian government, facing the advancements in the mega regional agreements - Transpacific Partnership and TTIP (EU-United States) and the increasing isolation of Brazil, with few relevant trade agreements.

A "no show" from Dilma would be bad news - the Planalto had claimed a schedule conflict, but the fact is that the attitude of the EU to engage Brazil in the WTO because of Inovar Auto and the Zone Franca of Manaus greatly angered the president.

The president's lack of interest in foreign policy can be measured by cancellations of important events. Last year in June, Rousseff canceled her trip to the IBSA Summit, in New Delhi a few days prior to the event.

The reason was understandable: at the start of the protests. Even so, the Indian colleagues were quite dissatisfied.

Until recently, there was no date for a new meeting. Now, there is a plan to make the IBSA summit the day before the BRICs meeting, which will take place on July 15 at the Chinese request, soon after the end of the World Cup.

The Mercosur meeting is up in the air. The host is Venezuela and the initial start date was December. This has been cancelled and announced for January 17. Then, it was set for January 31.

Now, there is talk about the beginning of March, but many doubt the possibility of meeting presidents in Caracas, where there is a lack of toilet paper and an excess of violent protests.

In other words, we can expect very little from the foreign policy agenda in the short term.

Translated by SIMONE PALMA

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