The role of the European Union in the Brazilian foreign policy: an analysis of the Brazil-European Union Strategic Partnership

Resumo

This article aims to discuss the role of the European Union (EU) in Brazilian foreign policy by analyzing the Brazil-European Union Strategic Partnership. To do so, this investigation involves the use of qualitative data, literature review, and documentary research. Both Brazil and the EU do not present precise definitions for what they understand as strategic partnerships and, hence, this phenomenon must be framed through structural elements in these actors’ foreign policy. The European bloc is an important actor in Brazilian foreign policy, given the historic evolution of Brazil-EU relations, the establishment of the Strategic Partnership, and the EU’s economic relevance for the country. In turn, the current locus of the EU in Brazilian foreign policy is still unclear, due to overlapping levels of interaction between Brazil and the EU and to the difficulties in the domestic scenarios of both actors.