LatinNews Daily - 22 April 2026

*Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has met with Portugal’s Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and highlighted opportunities to boost bilateral cooperation. In a joint press conference in Lisbon yesterday, Lula said that Portugal could be “the great gateway for Brazilian business interests in Europe”. Lula mentioned opportunities in sectors such as aviation, citing the aircraft manufacturer Embraer as an example of Brazilian companies that operate in Portugal. Other areas of bilateral interest discussed yesterday included migration, with Portugal having the second-largest Brazilian diaspora in the world, after the US. Montenegro highlighted efforts by his government to regularise the migration status of over 235,000 Brazilians. Portuguese government data has shown that, as of 2024, there were 485,000 regularised Brazilian nationals residing in Portugal. During their press conference, the two leaders also praised the free trade deal signed earlier this year by the European Union (EU) and the Mercosur regional trade bloc, which is due to take effect provisionally from 1 May. Lula’s trip to Portugal marks the final leg of a European trip beginning on 17 April, which has seen him visit Spain and Germany, two other countries which have supported the EU-Mercosur deal.