Friedrich Merz: “Optimism is the spirit”

Hannover (dpa) – “The days of Hannover Messe 2026 will be all about the future and an optimistic outlook,” said Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz as he opened the world’s most important industrial trade fair together with Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Merz stated that looking ahead and showing “what we can do” were key, and that “optimism is the spirit that unites us, with Brazil in particular”. He described Brazil as this year’s partner country of the trade fair as one of Germany’s most important partners in a world that was in the process of re-organisation. Both countries had a shared interest in a political order, in which agreements could be relied on and global problems could be solved jointly, the Federal Chancellor continued.

Today, Merz, Lula and 15 ministers from both sides will be discussing options for expanding the two countries’ relations. Against the backdrop of the free trade agreement between the EU and the Latin American Mercosur states entering into force preliminarily on 1 May, the discussions are expected to focus on business-related matters. Other issues that are likely to be addressed include the current energy crisis as well as US President Donald Trump’s actions against Iran and Latin American countries such as Venezuela and Cuba. During the opening ceremony for Hannover Messe, Lula referred to the war led by the USA and Israel against Iran as “madness”.