Brazil and the EU share a long-standing relationship based on strong cultural and historical ties; Brazil was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with the EU.
The EU-Brazil framework cooperation agreement (1992) governs relations. The Strategic Partnership in 2007 has upgraded this, leading to a significant widening of the scope of the cooperation, with several ongoing sectorial dialogues.
The Agreement for Scientific and Technological (S&T) Cooperation between the European Union and Brazil on research and innovation (signed in 2004, into force in 2007 and renewed until 2022) is the main framework of the scientific collaboration. The S&T Agreement aims to encourage, develop and facilitate cooperative activities in areas of common interest, based on the principles of mutual benefit, timely exchange of information, reciprocal access to activities and protection of intellectual property rights.
The Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the Brazilian Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MCTI) signed a Cooperation Arrangement in January 2013. The agreement was renewed in March 2018 and it intends to strengthen cooperative activities in the areas of
- disaster prevention and crisis management
- climate change and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystem services
- energy, including bioenergy and smart grids
- food security
- bioeconomy
- information and communication technologies (ICT)
- nanotechnologies
In October 2016, the European Commission and the Brazilian National Council of State Funding Agencies (CONFAP) signed an Implementing Arrangement (IA), to enhance cooperation between Brazilian researchers and teams funded by the European Research Council (ERC). The arrangement allows Brazilian researchers to undertake multiple short or one long term research visit to ERC-funded teams in Europe.
