Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva issued a warning against authoritarian drifts, on the eve of a summit of progressive leaders in Barcelona. “What we want is to discuss to see if we can find a solution to strengthen the democratic process in the world (…) Because when democracy retreats, a Hitler appears,” he said during a press conference alongside Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
For Lula, democracy cannot be limited to just the electoral process. “Democracy must go beyond voting and bring concrete benefits to people’s lives,” he insisted, calling for strengthening institutions and a tangible response to social expectations. This vision was shared by Pedro Sánchez, who called for “renewing” and “improving” the international multilateral system, which he believes has been weakened by rising trends of withdrawal and contestation.
The Spanish leader warned against “this reactionary wave” and “authoritarian regimes,” as well as misinformation, which he sees as direct threats to democratic stability. In this context, he defended international cooperation as a lever for resilience, citing the free trade agreement between the European Union and Mercosur as a symbol of “openness, mutual trust, and shared prosperity.”
Beyond the declarations of principle, the meeting between the two countries resulted in the signing of fifteen bilateral agreements in Barcelona, focusing on combating crime, discrimination, violence against women, as well as economic and technological cooperation, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence.
In a world “increasingly fragmented,” in the words of Pedro Sánchez, Brazil and Spain aim to position themselves as actors of rapprochement between Europe and Latin America, advocating for a democratic model that they consider under pressure today.
