Lula’s Visit to France: a Growing (European) Partnership

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s trip to France goes beyond the usual and routine diplomatic visit between two countries.Relations and mutual trust between Brazil and France are at their best moment, politically and geopolitically. This evaluation can be corroborated by the critical issues that will be presented in the agenda of Lula’s lengthy stay in France, from June 4 to 9 2025. For example,  Lula will visit Toulon’s military base, in Southern France to discuss the ongoing collaboration with France on the provision of equipment for the first nuclear submarine among Latin American armies.

The Brazilian-French nuclear cooperation is extremely relevant for two reasons. Firstly, virtually all Latin American countries are signatories to the 1967 Tlatelolco Treaty, which prohibits the use of atomic weapons in the region. The widespread opposition to nuclear use, combined with the mineral wealth of Latin America, has traditionally limited the development of nuclear energy facilities to Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.

The Lula-Macron-Trump Triangle

The figure of Trump looms behind Lula’s upcoming meeting with President Emmanuel Macron. Since his 2025 inauguration, Trump has demonstrated continuous antagonism towards Lula. Initially, Brazil and the US entered a diplomatic crisis over the deportation of Brazilians from the United States. Then, Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, counting on the Republicans’ political support and protection, announced his intentions to seek asylum in the United States during a visit in Washington, furthering tensions between Trump and Lula’s governments. Finally, the economic implications surrounding Trump’s tariffs on BRICS countries and Brazil unleashed fierce condemnation from Lula.

In this sense, the Brazilian government is looking to reduce and disentangle its political, economic, and military ties with the White House. Paris represents a longstanding partner of Brazil, with shared interests including climate and culture that will be central to Lula’s visit, especially since the United States does not seem to be actively involved in those areas anymore. Regarding climate, Lula and Macron are likely to agree on a statement about common COP 30 efforts, which will be an initiative included at the 2025 UN Ocean Conference to be held in Nice later in June.

Together with governance issues, like data regulation, Brazil and France are also expected to expand existing agreements in the provision of the 2002 Concórdia framework. Culture is critical to Lula’s priorities, meaning that conversations about UNESCO and academic cooperation will also take center stage during his visit. In addition, Lula will receive an honorary doctorate from the Paris 8 University, just a few days after the organization of the French-led Week of Latin America and the Caribbean, which saw strong Brazilian participation within all Parisian institutions dedicated to Latin America. Hence, the opportunities for France’s interactions with Brazil are already on a positive path, with the Trump administration’s withdrawal from global cooperation serving as an incentive.

Unanswered Questions within Brazil-France Relations

Besides ample opportunities, Lula’s visit to France includes challenges to the foreign policies of Itamaraty and the Quai d’Orsay. Under the BRICS framework, Brazil is currently pushing for the reform of the Bretton Woods system and the liberal order.

Thus, the French government will need to carefully consider and balance its prerogatives by considering the steady direction Brazil has taken under Lula’s foreign policy. 

Meanwhile, however, thousands of Brazilian students are enrolled in French universities, contributing to the cultural aspect of a robust economic partnership that spans 1,100 French business branches in Brazil and a stock of €2 billion in Brazilian FDI to France. Cultural associations will be prioritized as a starting point for bilateral and EU-level exchanges with Brazil, given the current Brazil-France Cultural Year. Military agreements are surely relevant, but the comparative advantage that France and Europe hold is in climate diplomacy, an absolute pillar ofBrazil’s domestic politics, especially in regard to the Amazon.

Economically, Brazil is not only an energy provider but also a dynamic global power, having achieved 1.4 percent growth in the last quarter. The IMF also forecasts a stable 2 percent rate over the next two years. Additionally, Lula’s foreign policy effectively asserted Brazil’s primacy in Latin American international relations, emerging as the bridge that the EU needs to foster ties with Latin America and the Caribbean. It would therefore be a mistake for Paris and Brussels to underestimate the importance of Brazil’s leadership in the multipolar world.

From a purely diplomatic perspective, Brazil can also support Europein its migration difficulties. Brazil maintains around 38 embassies in African and Asian countries, including many of the principal countries of origin for immigration to the EU, where Brazilian diplomats can work closely with their European peers on consular and migration tasks.

Nevertheless, aspects involving BRICS and Mercosur should not be only assessedfrom an inward perspective or in unilateral correlation with French politics but should be brought under the larger European lens moving forward. 

Copyright Ludovic MARIN / AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (R) shake hands ahead of their bilateral meeting during the G7 Summit at the Borgo Egnazia resort in Savelletri, near Bari, Italy, on June 14, 2024.