:Germany's Merz, Brazil's Lula stress close European-Brazil

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Sunday called for closer ties between South America's largest economy and the European Union at the opening of the Hanover industrial fair.



Both welcomed the entry into force of the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement on May 1.



Merz said "This shows that we are sticking to the multilateral order, that we want a rules-based economic system, and that we want this cooperation with as few tariffs as possible – ideally none at all," .



Lula described Brazil, this year's partner country at the world's largest industrial trade fair in Hanover, as a reliable and important partner, including in the supply of raw materials.



Although only about 30% of Brazil's mineral potential has been mapped, the country already has the world's largest reserves of niobium, the second-largest reserves of graphite and rare earths, and the third-largest reserves of nickel, Lula said.



Lula wants to discuss the full range of economic cooperation with Merz, including artificial intelligence, critical minerals and data centers.