Brazil 2023: Where are the Germans this time?
German-Brazilian Economic Meeting 2023 in Belo Horizonte with high-ranking participants.
2009: Where are the Germans?! – With this question, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva provoked German politics and business during his state visit to Berlin in the fall. The reason was obvious: His country was experiencing unparalleled hype, attracting the attention of all the world’s major nations – except Germany’s.
2010: Germany was too slow to pick up the trend. When the various German delegations arrived in Brazil months later, it was already too late – others had been there for a long time. In the decade that followed, Latin America and Brazil were not a priority for German policy.
2023: A new international hype suddenly starts for Brazil – this time not due to the prospect of high growth, but as a result of political change.
And how are German politicians reacting now? A paradigm shift: This time, Germany is politically present in Brazil as never before: Within 72 days, the country was visited by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Development Minister Svenja Schulze and today: Economics Minister Dr. Robert Habeck and Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir! They were at the German-Brazilian Economic Meeting in Belo Horizonte. Other cabinet members will follow.
Today’s conference with about 1400 participants from politics and business has left a clear message: The Germans are here!
