What did German Chancellor Merz say about Brazil?
After returning from Brazil, Merz attended a business conference in Berlin last Thursday. There he spoke quite candidly about his short trip to Belém.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. Last week, I asked some journalists who were with me in Brazil: ‘Which of you would like to live here?’ No one raised their hand. “Everyone was happy to be back in Germany and out of there,” Merz said.
Some observers in Germany believe that by this comparison he meant to convey that Germany has fewer first-world problems than the poorest places in the world.
In the programme, Merz talked about the many challenges facing German society: an increasingly ineffective pension system, crumbling infrastructure and the polarization of society. He then connected this to his brief impression of Belém, one of the poorest places in Brazil.
In Brazil his words were taken completely differently.
Belém mayor Igor Normando said the German chancellor demonstrated “arrogance and prejudice”. Normandeau argued that his statement did not match the comments of other attendees from Germany, which were very favorable and full of praise.
Brazilian news portal Diario do Centro do Mundo wrote about the “insulting comparison”. Apparently, the author suggested, the German Chancellor does not consider Brazil a good place to live.
Low critical response in Germany
While the chancellor’s remarks caused a stir in Brazil, the reaction in Germany was much slower. Some news outlets reported on Merz’s comments.
Those who did this said that Merz had made headlines in Germany just a few weeks earlier with similar sharp remarks. At the time, Merz said that his government’s new strict immigration policy was having a positive impact, although there was still much to be done, “as is evident in the Stadtbild (cityscape).” It was seen as a blanket attack on all immigrants in the country, and the debate over what exactly Merz meant made headlines for days.
A government spokesperson tried to downplay the Chancellor’s latest comments and give a more positive context. Merz was able to have “productive and visionary” discussions with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the spokesman said in response to a DW inquiry: “The Chancellor regrets that, due to time constraints, he did not have the opportunity to visit the Amazon and experience firsthand the region’s breathtaking natural beauty.”
The brief statement ends with this assurance: “The Chancellor has great respect for the achievement of organizing such a large international conference in Belém.”
Meanwhile, Germany’s representative to the UN climate change conference in Brazil, Environment Minister Carsten Schneider of the center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), struck a different tone: “Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to get first impressions of Belém, this magnificent city and its surroundings,” Schneider said. “I saw a huge amount of commitment, amazing people, but also a huge amount of poverty.”
Meanwhile, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had a humorous reaction to the German Chancellor’s remarks.
Merz should have simply gone to a bar in Belém, danced there and tasted the local cuisine, he suggested, “because then he would have realized that Berlin does not offer him even 10% of the quality of life that the state of Pará and the city of Belém offer,” Lula commented briefly.
This article was originally published in German.
While you’re here: Every Tuesday, DW editors provide insight into what’s happening in German politics and society. You can sign up for the weekly email newsletter, Berlin Briefing, here.
<a href