President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrives tomorrow in the city of Hanover, in northern Germany, on a visit that aims to expand economic and diplomatic ties with the European country, Brazil’s largest trading partner on that continent. Lula will visit Hannover Messe 2026, considered the largest innovation and industrial technology fair in the world, which this year has Brazil as a partner country, and will have a meeting with the German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz. The program includes the 42nd Brazil-Germany Economic Meeting, the main bilateral forum for the countries’ productive sector.
The expectation of Brazilian diplomacy is that, at the end of the visit to Germany, ten agreements will be signed involving the two nations, covering areas such as defense, infrastructure, energy innovations, bioeconomy, sustainable development, application development and research in the oceanic areas and the Brazilian cerrado.
Founded in 1947, Hannover Messe annually brings together more than 200,000 visitors and around 5,000 exhibitors from more than 70 countries in the German city, generating billions in business and partnerships. The Brazil Pavilion, which will be opened by Lula on Monday, has 2,700 m² of exhibition space, organized into six thematic areas: energy transition, hydrogen, digitalization, advanced industry, circular economy and artificial intelligence (AI), with company stands, product exhibition, exclusive areas for business meetings and debate panels.
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There will be 140 Brazilian exhibitors, from large companies such as Embraer and WEG to 60 startups.
Window of opportunities
The fair runs until the 24th, on the eve of the date scheduled for the beginning of the partial application of the agreement between Mercosur and the European Union (EU), officially scheduled for May 1st.
For Laudemir Muller, president of the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) — linked to the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services —, being a partner country has great significance when advancing the agreement with the EU, “which opens a concrete window of opportunities”.
Hannover Messe is the largest fair complex in the world, with more than 550 thousand m² of usable area divided into 27 pavilions and the convention center, with a focus this year on three major segments: automation and digitalization; energy and infrastructure; and research and technology transfer. Among the highlighted topics are AI, robotics, industrial software, production logistics, internet of things and storage.
According to the National Confederation of Industry (CNI), a group of around 300 representatives from Brazilian industry will be in Hanover for the fair and the Brazil-Germany economic forum, which is expected to bring together 800 participants. The meeting is held by CNI in partnership with the Federation of German Industries (BDI, its acronym in German) and support from ApexBrasil.
— This is a unique opportunity that will allow Brazil to promote its industry. Brazil’s leading role will contribute to strengthening business, attracting investment and expanding the country in the international market — assesses the president of the CNI, Ricardo Alban.
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In 2025, Brazil and Germany generated US$20.9 billion in bilateral trade, with Brazilian exports of US$6.5 billion (+11.6% over the previous year) and imports of US$14.4 billion. Germany is the eighth largest investor in Brazil, with a stock of US$38.5 billion (2024). This scenario reinforces the potential for business expansion and industrial cooperation, especially in segments with higher added value.
Public and private
Tomorrow, the public and private sectors of the two countries will meet at the 51st Brazil-Germany Joint Economic Cooperation Commission (Comista), a bilateral rapprochement mechanism created in 1974.
Among the planned agendas are the Mercosur-EU treaty, the agreement to avoid double taxation between Brazil and Germany and support for the expansion of joint projects and initiatives aimed at digitalization, artificial intelligence, decarbonization and biofuels.
