Lisbon - The European Union (EU) and Brazil met Wednesday in
Lisbon for their first summit, aimed at establishing a privileged
partnership.
'This is a historic step,' said Portuguese Prime Minister Jose
Socrates, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency.
Socrates and European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso
hosted the meeting attended by Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula
da Silva, EU foreign affairs chief Javier Solana and External
Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner.
Portugal spent nine months preparing the summit at which the EU
and Brazil were to sign a strategic association agreement.
It will place Brazil on a par with other privileged partners of
the EU, such as China, India, the United States or Russia.
The EU cannot afford to ignore the growing economic and political
weight of the Portuguese-speaking Latin American giant, according to
Portuguese sources.
The summit was to discuss a wide range of subjects from
multilateral trade to human rights.
Brazil wants the EU to cut farm subsidies, while the EU is seeking
a closer cooperation with the Latin American trade bloc Mercosur and
takes an interest in Brazil's experiences in developing sources of
alternative energy.
Before the summit, Lula da Silva attended a meeting of Brazilian
and EU entrepreneurs. The summit was scheduled to be followed by a
gala dinner attended by heads of state or government from EU
countries including Spain, France, Italy and Slovenia.
© 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur 
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