Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry (CNI) has presented a survey indicating that the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union (EU) should expand Brazilian access to the global goods import market from eight to 36 percent.

The figures were released Saturday (Jan. 17), after the treaty was signed by representatives of the European bloc and Mercosur member countries at a ceremony in Asunción, Paraguay. After the signing, the text will still be submitted for ratification by the European Parliament and the national congresses of each Mercosur nation. The confederation believes that the formalization of the agreement is a turning point for Brazilian industry.

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The survey also indicates that 54.3 percent of traded products – more than 5 thousand items – will have zero tariffs in the European Union once the Mercosur–EU agreement comes into force. On Mercosur’s side, Brazil will have longer deadlines – 10 to 15 years – to reduce tariffs on 44.1 percent of products (4,400 items), ensuring a gradual and predictable transition.

“Based on 2024 data, 82.7 percent of Brazil’s exports to the EU will enter the bloc without import tariffs from the outset. On the other hand, Brazil has committed to immediately eliminating tariffs on only 15.1 percent of imports originating in the European Union, reinforcing the favorable difference for the country,” the document says.

Also according to the analysis, Brazil will have eight additional years on average to adapt to the tariff reduction, compared to the European bloc’s deadline and considering bilateral trade and the schedule set out in the Mercosur–EU agreement.

“The signing of the agreement is a historic milestone for strengthening Brazilian industry, diversifying the export basket, and integrating the country into global trade,” says the confederation.

“Under negotiation for more than 25 years, this is the most modern and comprehensive treaty ever negotiated by Mercosur and goes beyond tariff reduction as it incorporates disciplines that increase regulatory predictability, reduce costs, and create a more favorable environment for investment, innovation, and job creation,” the entity goes on to state.

Job creation

According to CNI, in 2024, for every BRL 1 billion exported from Brazil to the EU, 21,800 jobs were created – generating BRL 441.7 million in wages and BRL 3.2 billion in production.

The compact also has positive results for the agro-industrial sector, as the negotiated quotas favor key sectors and, in the case of beef, are more than double those granted by the European Union to partners such as Canada, and more than four times higher than those allocated to Mexico. Rice quotas exceed the volume currently exported by Brazil to the bloc, expanding the potential for access to the European market.

Technological cooperation

The signing of the treaty also creates a favorable environment for expanding research and development projects focused on sustainability and technological innovation, CNI reports.

“New regulatory and market requirements are driving opportunities in industrial decarbonization technologies—such as carbon capture, use, and storage; CO₂ use and mineralization; low-emission hydrogen electrification; hybrid-flex engines; and battery and critical mineral recycling—and in the development of bio-supplies for more resilient agriculture. The articulation of these fronts strengthens technological cooperation, accelerates the transition to a low-carbon economy, and increases Brazil’s competitiveness in the European market,” the text reads.

In 2024, the European Union was the destination for USD 48.2 billion of Brazilian exports, equivalent to 14.3 percent of the country’s total exports, and remains Brazil’s second largest foreign market, behind China. In the same period, the bloc accounted for USD 47.2 billion of Brazilian imports, 17.9 percent of the total.

Almost all (98.4%) of Brazilian imports from Europe were manufacturing products, while 46.3 percent of Brazilian exports to the EU were industrial goods. Considering industrial supplies, the share of trade in 2024 was 56.6 percent of imports from the bloc and 34.2 percent of Brazil’s exports to the European Union, CNI points out.

“This complementarity contributes to the modernization of Brazilian industry, increasing its competitiveness. The EU also stands out as the main investor in Brazil. In 2023, the bloc accounted for 31.6 percent of foreign productive investment in the country, totaling USD 321.4 billion. Brazil was the largest Latin American investor in the European Union – the bloc was the destination for 63.9 percent of Brazilian investments abroad,” the study says.

The law that established Brazil’s minimum wage in 1936, later regulated in 1940, resulted from workers’ struggles, reshaped social relations, and unsettled economic elites, according to historians interviewed by Agência Brasil. The legislation marked its 90th anniversary last Wednesday (Jan. 14).

The first article of the law states: “Every worker has the right, in payment for services rendered, to a minimum wage capable of satisfying, in a given region of the country and at a given time, their normal needs for food, housing, clothing, hygiene, and transportation.”

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According to history professor Mateus Gamba Torres of the University of Brasília (UnB), strikes demanding better working conditions took place in Brazil during the 1910s and 1920s.

“Until then, the contract was civil law-based, for the provision of services. There was no minimum wage that the employer was required to pay,” he says.

Ambiguous stance

Then-President Getúlio Vargas also faced pressure from economic elites, researchers have found, even as more money was injected into the economy. According to Professor Deusdedith Rocha of the University Center of Brasília (Ceub), Brazil’s elite adopted an ambivalent stance toward the introduction of the minimum wage.

“They both resisted and strategically adjusted to the changes of the time. Distrust in the agricultural sector was offset by the idea of social stabilization,” he explains.

Rocha adds that the minimum wage became a fundamental achievement in the regulation of labor relations.

“The worker perceived the minimum wage as fundamental to having a greater possibility of survival,” he stated.

Trade unions

Trade unions celebrate the Minimum Wage Law but argue that real wage adjustments should become a state policy, not just a government policy.

“The minimum wage is fundamental because it sets a benchmark both for categories without a minimum wage and for retirees and pensioners. It ultimately becomes an important instrument for income distribution in our country,” says João Carlos Gonçalves, general secretary of Força Sindical (Union Force).

He recalls that trade unions fought for the minimum wage adjustment to become an instrument for income distribution. “The adjustment was achieved in Congress and, as a result, the minimum wage saw a real increase, which was cut during the [Michel] Temer and [Jair] Bolsonaro governments.”

According to Gonçalves, the policy of real increases was reinstated during President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s government. “Now there has been a return to a real benchmark, slightly lower, which is still important, even if smaller,” he says.

For Ariovaldo de Camargo, of the Central Única dos Trabalhadores - CUT (Unified Workers’ Central), the minimum wage “for active workers is a cushion, an important reference point, but falls short of what is needed.”

Camargo argues that a “more rapid” recovery policy is necessary.

“After the 2016 coup [that removed Dilma Rousseff from power], when we went six years without adjustments above inflation - and at times even below - it was, we can say, a discontinuous policy,” according to Camargo.

Ronaldo Leite, president of the Central dos Trabalhadores e Trabalhadoras do Brasil - CTB (Central of Workers of Brazil), also emphasizes the importance of the minimum wage. “It is a fundamental guarantee for workers. Having a constitutional floor minimally ensures the purchasing power of the working class.”

Leite notes that the Lula government reinstated the policy of increasing the minimum wage, allowing for adjustments above inflation, but acknowledges that its value has been eroded over the years.

“The minimum wage has lost much of its purchasing power compared to when it was first established. Dieese [the Inter-Union Department of Statistics and Socioeconomic Studies] calculates that the ideal value today would be BRL 7,106.83. The CTB advocates maintaining and expanding the policy of minimum wage increases to ensure that the working class experiences an improvement in living conditions,” Leite adds.

The minimum wage in effect this year is BRL 1,621.00.

Dieese is supported by the labor movement. It conducts research on the cost of living, employment and unemployment, and issues related to the world of work and workers.

Created to help reduce healthcare-associated infections in public hospitals in Brazil, the “Health in Our Hands” project has achieved its goal. From September 2024 to October 2025, the initiative reduced these infections by 26 percent in adult, pediatric, and neonatal intensive care units (ICUs).

With this reduction in hospital infections, Brazil’s public healthcare network, the SUS, is estimated to have saved more than BRL 150 million during this period.

The “Health in Our Hands” project was developed by hospitals participating in the SUS Institutional Development Support Program (Proadi-SUS), run by the Ministry of Health.

The project’s goal is to work in Brazilian ICUs to reduce cases of primary bloodstream infections associated with central venous catheters, ventilator-associated pneumonia, and urinary tract infections associated with urinary catheters.

“‘Health in Our Hands’ is an initiative that generates a learning movement in which everyone teaches and everyone learns and that, most importantly, addresses measures to combat the three main healthcare-associated infections in ICUs. We are talking about serious infections caused by catheters [central venous, mechanical ventilation, and urinary], which increase morbidity, mortality, and hospital costs and can be avoided with effective prevention measures,” said Claudia Garcia, the project’s general coordinator, in a statement.

Estimates indicate that healthcare-associated infections can cause up to 3.5 million deaths each year worldwide. In Brazil, preventing each of these infections helps save between BRL 60,000 and BRL 110,000.

The project aims to reduce these hospital infections by 50 percent by the end of this year.

The Brazilian government released an official statement on Tuesday (Jan. 13) expressing concern about the demonstrations in Iran.

The protests began on December 28 in response to rising living costs in the country. Later, protesters turned against those who have governed Iran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

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In response to the protests, which have now spread across the country, Iranian authorities have used lethal force against the population. According to non-governmental organizations, at least 600 deaths have been recorded.

In the statement, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs laments the deaths and defends the Iranian people’s sovereignty in deciding the course of their country.

“By stressing that it is solely up to the Iranian people to decide, in a sovereign manner, on the future of their country, Brazil urges all actors to engage in peaceful, substantive, and constructive dialogue,” the statement said.

The Brazilian government reports that, so far, there are no Brazilians among the dead or injured. The embassy in Tehran is assisting the Brazilian community in Iran.

Threats

Iranian authorities accuse the US and Israel of fomenting the protests and have threatened to attack US bases.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that peaceful protests are tolerated in the country, but said the recent disturbances are provoked by “foreign terrorists” in an attempt to justify an invasion by the US and Israel.

Donald Trump has threatened to intervene in Iran with military forces. On Monday (12), he announced that he will impose a 25 percent tariff on “any country that does business with the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

If the measure goes ahead, Brazil could be affected. Trump’s announcement has raised concerns about potential impacts on Brazilian trade, especially in agribusiness, the main beneficiary of trade relations with Tehran. The government is awaiting the publication of the US executive order before taking a position.

Brazil maintained trade of almost USD 3 billion with Iran in 2025, even though the country accounted for only 0.84 percent of Brazilian exports.

The Brazilian government, through the Ministry of Health, announced on Thursday (Jan. 8) that it will send 100 tons of medicines and other health supplies to Venezuela. The measure aims to support the population of the neighboring country, which suffered a military attack by the United States last Saturday (Jan. 3) that resulted in the capture of the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores.

The American military action in Caracas destroyed Venezuela’s largest medicine distribution center. In the first shipment, Brazil will send 40 tons of medicines to prioritize the needs of approximately 16,000 patients who require hemodialysis and would otherwise be left without assistance.

“This donation does not affect the structure or assistance provided to the approximately 170,000 patients currently undergoing dialysis in Brazil’s public healthcare network, the SUS. We have secure stocks and can show solidarity with our neighboring country. We cannot forget that, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Venezuela provided us with 130,000 cubic meters of oxygen to treat our citizens, in the face of a crisis caused by mismanagement by the previous government,” highlighted Health Minister Alexandre Padilha.

In a letter sent to Venezuelan Health Minister Magaly Gutiérrez, Padilha reinforced the Brazilian government’s support for guaranteeing healthcare assistance to Venezuelans, especially dialysis patients, affected by the destruction of the medicine distribution center.

The supplies to be sent to Venezuela were secured through donations from university and philanthropic hospitals across Brazil. They are part of a strategic and essential set of materials. The neighboring country, with which Brazil shares a border of more than one thousand kilometers, will receive medications for continuous use, filters, arterial and venous lines, catheters, and solutions for hemodialysis treatment.

The 100 tons of donations will be stored at the Ministry of Health’s Distribution Center for Supplies and Medications, located in Guarulhos, in São Paulo state, until they are fully dispatched.

Rio de Janeiro prosecutors ended 2025 with impressive figures in its financial fight against criminal organizations in the state. As a result of the work of their Special Action Group to Combat Organized Crime (GAECO) throughout the year, the judiciary was asked to freeze over BRL 906 million in assets linked to criminal individuals and organizations.

To this end, the group refined its investigation methods, expanded the exchange of information on national and transnational financial crimes, and forged partnerships to broaden the scope of its efforts.

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A case in point is the Technical Cooperation Agreement, signed by Rio’s prosecution service with the Civil Police in March last year, with the aim of expanding the application of asset forfeiture in cases involving illicit wealth – a vital tool for tracking, freezing, and recovering illicit assets.

According to GAECO’s coordinator, prosecutor Letícia Petriz, the impact of these initiatives goes beyond numbers.

“The financial suffocation of criminal organizations strikes at their core, weakening their ability to operate and expand. GAECO’s actions are strategically geared toward undermining the economic power of these groups, especially through asset investigations and the application of extended confiscation, which makes it possible to remove illicitly obtained funds from criminal activity and prevent their reintroduction into the economic circuit,” she declared.

Complaints

In 2025, the special group filed 70 complaints against 767 individuals – including 120 public officials – and obtained court orders that supported 39 operations aimed at enforcing arrest orders and search-and-seizure warrants.

Among the main actions carried out throughout the year, the prosecutors acted to exercise arrest orders and search-and-seizure warrants against members of a criminal organization operating in the states of Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais that stole crude oil from Transpetro (a subsidiary of Petrobras) and participated in joint actions with prosecutors from other states – such as Operation Carbono Oculto (“Hidden Carbon”), launched by São Paulo prosecutors against a billion-dollar scheme involving fuel adulteration and illegal distribution.

Digital environment

“The creation of CyberGAECO represents a strategic step towards modernizing investigations, given the growing activity of criminal organizations in the digital environment. The experience of other prosecution offices with similar structures shows that specialization is essential to increase the effectiveness of investigations, especially in crimes involving technology, cryptocurrencies, and money laundering,” Letícia Petriz said.

In 2025, Brazil registered its best year for international tourism, with 9,287,196 foreign tourist arrivals. This represents a 37.1 percent increase compared to 2024, which had previously held the historical record with approximately 6.7 million international visitors.

In addition to surpassing the previous year’s performance, the country also exceeded the target set in the National Tourism Plan (PNT) 2024–2027. The projection for 2025 was 6.9 million international arrivals, a figure that was exceeded by 34.6 percent.

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In December 2025, Brazil registered an 11 percent increase in international tourist arrivals compared to the same period in 2024. In total, 896,488 foreign visitors arrived at destinations across the country, approximately 90,000 more than in the same month of the previous year.

This result consolidated December as the fourth-best month of the year in terms of international arrivals, behind January, February, and March.

Destination

According to the Ministry of Tourism, São Paulo was the largest gateway for foreigners to Brazil, with 2,753,869 international visitors, followed by Rio de Janeiro, with 2,196,443, and Rio Grande do Sul, which received 1,535,806 tourists over the year.

Origin

Among the source markets, Argentina maintained its absolute leadership, with 3,386,823 tourists, reaffirming the strength of regional tourism and South American integration. Chile ranked second, with 801,921 visitors, followed by the United States, which accounted for 759,637 arrivals in Brazil in 2025. Travelers from European countries such as France, Portugal, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Spain together totaled 1,274,567 visitors to Brazil.

Petrobras confirmed that there has been a leak during drilling 175 kilometers from Amapá state, on the Brazilian Equatorial Margin. The leak was identified last Sunday (Jan. 4). Since then, activities have been halted at the site. The company has not yet announced when activities will resume.

In a statement, the state-run company says it “has taken all necessary control measures and notified the relevant authorities. The fluid used complies with permitted toxicity limits and is biodegradable, so there is no harm to the environment or people.”

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According to the oil giant, what happened was a loss of drilling fluid in two auxiliary lines connecting the drilling rig to the Morpho well.

Drilling fluid is used to clean and lubricate the drill bit during the drilling of oil and gas wells. The substance mixes water, clay, and chemicals. The compound helps control well pressure and prevent wall collapse.

The company states that “there are no problems with the rig or the well, which remain in a completely safe condition. The incident also poses no risk to the safety of the drilling operation.”

The Morpho well is located in an exploratory block (FZA-M-059) about 175 kilometers off the coast of Amapá state and 500 kilometers from the mouth of the Amazon river.

Oil and natural gas production in Brazil reached 4.921 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boe/d) in November 2025. A total of 3.773 million barrels per day (bbl/d) of oil were extracted, representing a 6.4 percent decrease compared to the previous month and a 13.9 percent increase compared to the same month in 2024.

Natural gas production stood at 182.57 million cubic meters per day (m³/d), representing a 6.3 percent shrinkage compared to October and a 15.7 percent surge compared to November 2024.

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The data can be found in the monthly bulletin on oil and natural gas production, released Monday (Jan. 5) by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas, and Biofuels (ANP).

Pre-salt

As for pre-salt numbers, oil and natural gas production in the same month stood at 3.913 million boe/d – representing 79.6 percent of the amount produced in Brazil.

“Production fell by 8.5 percent compared to the previous month and grew by 15.6 percent compared to the same month in 2024,” the report reads.

Of the total, 3.024 million bbl/d is oil and 141.27 million m³/d is natural gas from 178 wells.

Utilization

According to the ANP, also in November, natural gas utilization reached 96.9 percent. A total of 61.87 million m³/d was made available to the market, and 5.71 million m³/d was flared.

“There was a five percent increase in flaring compared to the previous month and an 8.1 percent reduction compared to November 2024,” the agency added.

Offshore fields

Most of the oil (97.7%) and natural gas (85.7%) production is said to have stemmed from offshore fields.

“The fields operated by Petrobras – either alone or in consortium with other companies – accounted for 89.35 percent of total production,” said the ANP, adding that production came from 6,082 wells – of which 539 offshore and 5,543 onshore.

Highest production

The field that produced the most oil in November 2025 was Búzios, in the pre-salt layer of the Santos Basin, which recorded 744,300 bbl/d. In natural gas, the Mero field ranked first, also in the Santos Basin, with 40.80 million m³/d.

The facilities with the highest oil production were the FPSO (floating production, storage, and offloading) unit Almirante Tamandaré, in the Búzios Field, with 239,453 bbl/d); and for gas, the Marechal Duque de Caxias FPSO, in the Mero field, with 12.83 million m³/d.

On Sunday evening (Jan. 4), Brazil’s The Secret Agent won the award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2026 Critics’ Choice Awards. The flick was up against Left-Handed Girl, It Was Just an Accident, Belén, Sirāt, and No Other Choice.

Directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and starring Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent has been highly praised by Brazilian and international critics and was extremely well received at festivals over the last few months.

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The production also competed in the Best Actor category with Wagner Moura, but actor Timothée Chalamet won with Marty Supreme. Competing with Moura in this category were actors Leonardo DiCaprio (One Battle After Another), Ethan Hawke (Blue Moon), and Michael B. Jordan (Sinners).

Golden Globes and Oscars

The Critics Choice Awards are considered a bellwether for the Oscars, to take place on March 15. In addition to the award for Best Foreign Language Film, The Secret Agent may compete for Best Casting.

In December, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the preliminary list of nominees in 12 categories for the 98th Oscars. The final list of Oscar nominees will be revealed on January 22.

The next challenge for Kleber Mendonça Filho’s feature is the 2026 Golden Globes, next Sunday (11). The movie is nominated in the categories of Best Foreign Language Film and Best Drama Film. Wagner Moura is nominated for Best Actor.

Last year, actress Fernanda Torres won the Golden Globe for Best Actress for her performance in I’m Still Here.

*Paula Laboissière contributed to this article.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva spoke out this Saturday morning (Jan. 3) about the United States’ attacks on Venezuela and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Lula condemned the military action and demanded a vigorous response from the United Nations (UN).

Through social media, Lula stated that such actions “cross an unacceptable line.”

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“These acts represent a very serious affront to the sovereignty of Venezuela and set yet another extremely dangerous precedent for the entire international community. Attacking countries, in flagrant violation of international law, is the first step toward a world of violence, chaos, and instability, where the law of the strongest prevails over multilateralism,” said Lula.

The Brazilian president recalled that Brazil has always opposed the use of force in other countries and regions, and noted the action is reminiscent of “the worst moments of interference in the politics of Latin America and the Caribbean.”

“Brazil condemns these actions and remains available to promote dialogue and cooperation,” he added.

An emergency meeting at the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs took place on Saturday morning to discuss the crisis in the neighboring country. President Lula participated via videoconference, as he is in Rio de Janeiro. His staff informed that the president will return to Brasília later today. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mauro Vieira, was on vacation and will also return to Brasília today.

Attacks on Venezuela

The President of the United States, Donald Trump, announced this Saturday a large-scale attack on Venezuela. The capital, Caracas, and other cities were hit by air and ground forces. According to Trump, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and removed from the country.

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded proof of life from President Nicolás Maduro and the first lady, whose whereabouts remain unknown after the US attacks.