mr president as a member of eurolat i welcome the eu strategic partnership with brazil and mexico both thriving democracies
the word bric for brazil russia india and china is very much in the vocabulary of foreign-policy specialists and brazil is indeed an emerging global player
president lula has demonstrated moderation in government and has been a stabilising force against the rise of populist demagogues like chávez in venezuela and morales in bolivia
brazil will be hit now by the credit crunch and the fall in commodity prices
mexico will also be affected by the dramatic fall in oil prices
these two countries have enjoyed stability
i also commend the work of president calderón in mexico and he also deserves our support in his struggle against the drug cartels
the two countries being embedded respectively in nafta and mercosur are big players in the region and they are key to our relations with latin america
