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EU-Brazil Relations in a Time of Crisis: An Assessment of the Fifth EU-Brazil Summit

Publication Name: 
Political Perspectives
Volume, number, page: 
6:2, pp. 30-57
Year of Publication: 
2012
Author(s): 
LAZAROU Elena
EDLER Daniel
Organization Name: 
University of Manchester
City: 
Manchester
Country of Publication: 
United Kingdom
ISBN or ISSN: 
2140-081X
Considered Countries: 
Brazil
Category: 
Academic articles
Theme: 
BILATERAL RELATIONS UE - LAC
Country - European Union
BIREGIONAL RELATIONS UE - LAC
Strategic Partnerships
Keyword(s): 
European Union
Foreign Policy
International Relations
History
Economic Relations
WTO
Climate Change
Migration
Mercosur
Multilateralism
Abstract: 
This paper analyses the results of the 2011 EU-Brazil Summit within the context of the Eurozone crisis, the developments in the Middle East and the emergence of Brazil as a major player on the world stage. It does so through a discourse analysis of the Summit’s conclusion on issues of global, regional and bilateral relevance. The paper argues that developments within the framework of the Strategic Partnership have left a lot to be desired on a practical level, and argues that the reasons for its original inception were mostly related to political objectives rather than strong functional considerations. The paper is divided into three parts. The first reviews the history of the Strategic Partnership; the second seeks to explain the concept and incentives for the 2007 agreement; finally, the third part sheds light on the events surrounding the 2011 Summit and draws conclusions regarding its outcome.