EU-Brazil Business Forum

Organised by the Brazil–EU Business Network

Supported by the Mission of Brazil to the European Union

Organised by the Brazil–EU Business Network and The Brussels Times, with the institutional support of the Mission of Brazil to the European Union, the Forum will bring together senior policymakers and executives from leading Brazilian companies in Europe, including Braskem, Inpasa, Raízen, Suzano and Vale.

Taking place at a pivotal moment for EU–Brazil relations, the Forum will offer a platform for forward-looking dialogue on trade, energy transition, industrial transformation and global value chains. The programme includes high-level discussions followed by a reception and networking dinner, which will feature Brazilian music and gastronomy.

Forum Programme

13:30 – 14:00 – Accreditation & Welcome Coffee
14:00 – 14:30 – Opening Session & Keynote Speeches: Brazil and the EU in a Changing Global Order
14:30 – 15:15 – Panel 1: Trade, Geopolitics and EU–Mercosur
15:15 – 15:45 – Networking Coffee Break
15:45 – 16:30 – Panel 2: Addressing Misperceptions: Understanding Brazil Beyond the Headlines
16:30 – 17:15 – Panel 3: Industrial Transformation & Global Value Chains: Energy, Climate, and the Emerging Bioeconomy
17:15 – 17:30 – High-Level Outlook and Institutional Reflections. What Comes Next for EU–Brazil
17:30 – 18:00 – Network Reception: Official inauguration of the Brazil-EU Business Network
18:00 – 19:00 – Walking Dinner and Cocktail Reception
19:00 – 22:00 – Festa Brasileira

PROGRAMME

Opening Session & Keynote Speeches: Brazil and the EU in a Changing Global Order

The global order is shifting fast. Trade has become geopolitical, supply chains are strategic assets, and economic security now sits at the heart of foreign policy. From Washington to Beijing, power is being recalibrated — and Europe is responding by reshaping its competitiveness agenda, accelerating the green transition, and strengthening strategic autonomy.

For Brazil and the EU — long-standing partners with shared democratic and economic interests— this moment presents both risk and opportunity. Beyond EU–Mercosur, cooperation extends to critical raw materials, sustainable agriculture, clean energy, and resilient value chains. As influence in South America intensifies, engagement with Brazil is no longer only about trade — it is about strategy and the future balance of global power.

Keynote Speaker

Leopoldo Rubinacci, Deputy Director-General, DG Trade

Speakers

Pedro Miguel da Costa e Silva, Ambassador of Brazil to the European Union
MEP Hélder Sousa Silva (PT, EPP), Chair of European Parliament’s Brazil Delegation

Panel 1 – Trade, Geopolitics and EU-Mercosur

A high-level policy debate on the recalibration of the European Union’s trade strategy in light of a more strategic world, striking a balance between openness and economic security.

The panel will cover the EU-MERCOSUR agreement in the context of supply chains, sustainability, and forestry, in addition to the impact of instruments such as the CBAM, EUDR, and other evolving regulations on the challenges and opportunities for closer cooperation between the EU and Brazil.

Speakers

Paolo Garzotti, Head of Unit, Latin America & Caribbean, DG TRADE
MEP Jörgen Warborn, Committee on International Trade (INTA)
Rebecca Christie, Senior Fellow at Bruegel
Stefan Pinter, Head of Public Policy EMEA, Suzano
James Kanter, Moderator, The Brussels Times

Panel 2 – Addressing Misperceptions: Understanding Brazil Beyond the Headlines

How well is Brazil actually understood in Europe? This high-level session will explore why existing perceptions of Brazil, often centred on the Amazon and deforestation, do not fully capture the country’s institutional complexities, its economic evolution, and its growing role in global governance.

Moving beyond perceptions and assumptions, the session will discuss how Brazil’s institutional framework, its clean and renewable energy profile, and developments in sustainable industries are reshaping its global standing, and how this could be built on to strengthen EU–Brazil cooperation.

Speakers

Felix Fernandez-Shaw, Director for Latin America, DG INTPA
MEP Ana Miguel Pedro (PT, EPP), Member of the European Parliament’s Brazil Delegation
Paulo Macedo, Global Managing Director of International Relations, Raízen
Mark Wolthuis, Managing Director Europe, Inpasa
Dave Keating, Moderator, The Brussels Times

Panel 3 – Transformation & Global Value Chains: Energy, Climate, and the Emerging Bioeconomy

A high‐level policy discussion exploring how the twin transitions—green and digital—are reshaping industrial strategies, energy systems, and global value chains in both the EU and Brazil.

The session will examine how climate commitments, energy security, and the shift toward circularity and sustainable materials are redefining competitiveness and creating new opportunities for EU–Brazil cooperation.

Speakers