President Lula meets with president of Germany’s Federal Council

President Lula met this Monday, September 16, with the president of the Bundesrat — the Federal Council of Germany — and Minister-President of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Manuela Schwesig. The Brazilian Minister of Institutional Relations, Alexandre Padilha, also participated in the meeting.

Manuela Schwesig came to Brazil to discuss investments from German companies, particularly in a biogas project in the Brazilian state of Paraná, as well as green hydrogen projects.

During the meeting with President Lula, the Minister-President conveyed the German people's solidarity with those suffering the consequences of the wildfires at many Brazilian states. Schwesig’s visit takes place in the context of the bicentennial anniversary of German immigration to Brazil.

Lula and Schwesig had previously met during the Brazilian President’s visit to Germany in December 2023. On that occasion, they discussed investments in bioenergy and the importance of democracy.

SCENARIO – Germany is Brazil’s main partner in Europe and a traditional source of investment for the South American country. Bilateral trade between the two countries reached USD 19 billion in 2022. Between January and October 2023, it reached USD 15.9 billion. Around 1,600 German companies are currently operating in Brazil, accounting for 8 to 10% of Brazil’s industrial GDP. São Paulo has one of the largest concentrations of German industries outside of Germany.