January 26, 2026
The Articulation of the Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB), the organization that represents nationally and internationally more than 300 indigenous peoples from all regions of Brazil, reaffirms its opposition to the signing and ratification of the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement. As it stands, the Agreement reinforces a predatory economic model, increases pressure on indigenous and traditional territories, and seriously compromises the climate, social, and human rights commitments made by the countries involved.
For indigenous peoples, the EU-Mercosur Agreement represents a direct and systemic risk. Tariff reductions on agricultural and mineral commodities will intensify the expansion of the agricultural frontier and aggravate the impacts of mining, putting pressure on forests, savannas, grasslands, and other biomes, as well as driving the establishment of major logistics infrastructure projects—such as railways, waterways, and export corridors — factors that are responsible for the invasion of more than 90% of indigenous territories, resulting in territorial conflicts that promote deadly violence for the indigenous people in all regions of the country.
The EU-Mercosur Agreement will intensify deforestation, territorial conflicts, violence against communities, and the systematic violation of collective rights. APIB condemns the fact that the Brazilian government did not conduct Free, Prior, and Informed Consultations with the indigenous peoples and territories that will be affected by the Free Trade Agreement, as required by Convention No. 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO), to which Brazil is a signatory party. Furthermore, the Agreement fails to provide for minimum fundamental safeguards for indigenous peoples, such as:
– unrestricted respect for the right to Consultation and Free, Prior, and Informed Consent, in accordance with ILO Convention No. 169, for any project or investment that may directly or indirectly affect indigenous territories and ways of life;
– effective protection of traditional knowledge in the area of intellectual property, preventing its appropriation and patenting by companies;
– the strengthening of Indigenous and family farming, rather than the prioritization of a conventional, large-scale, and predatory production model oriented exclusively toward exportation.
The negotiation process of the Eu-Mercosur Agreement, which lasted more than 25 years, was marked by the systematic exclusion of civil society, indigenous peoples, and local communities, both in Mercosur countries and in the European Union. This is an agreement negotiated without transparency or popular participation, which deepens economic asymmetries and transfers social, environmental, and climate costs to the peoples of the Global South, while concentrating economic benefits in large corporations.
The election of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva represented the comeback of a social, environmental, and climate agenda in Brazil, which had been severely attacked and dismantled during the Bolsonaro administration. After years of institutional setbacks, the dismantling of public policies, and the encouragement of violence against indigenous peoples, the electoral defeat of the far right paved the way for the reconstruction of spaces for dialogue and the resumption of policies aimed at protecting human rights, the environment, and traditional territories.
In this context, important steps have been taken, such as the creation of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples and the appointment of indigenous leaders to strategic government positions—achievements resulting from the historic struggle of the indigenous movement. Even so, these advances coexist with a deeply contradictory political landscape.
Despite Bolsonaro’s defeat at the polls, Bolsonarism remains organized and influential in the National Congress, which is predominantly conservative and aligned with the interests of agribusiness, mining, and large infrastructure projects, to the detriment of the collective rights of indigenous peoples. The current government, elected on the basis of a broad pro-democracy coalition, faces internal and external pressures that often result in concessions that jeopardize the rights of indigenous peoples and environmental protection.
Even after the Federal Supreme Court formed a majority to overturn the Marco Temporal thesis—reaffirming that indigenous rights are original and cannot be conditioned to the date of October 5, 1988—the risks of territorial rights setbacks remain real. The Supreme Court decision does not end the dispute. The possibility of temporary permanence of non-indigenous occupants until settlers compensation is paid, the inclusion of states and municipalities in the demarcation processes, the setting of extended deadlines for promoting territorial demarcation without budgetary guarantees, and the continuation of the legislative offensive through Constitutional Amendments and Bills demonstrate that indigenous territories remain under threat. Violence, land conflicts, and legal uncertainty persist.
It is in this context of structural fragility in territorial protection that the accelerated resumption of negotiations on the EU-Mercosur Agreement takes place. The Agreement has been treated as a political priority by governments, with strong pressure for its conclusion, despite repeated complaints from civil society, indigenous peoples, and socio-environmental organizations regarding the lack of transparency, participation, and social control in the negotiation process.
Given this scenario, APIB reaffirms its opposition to the signing and ratification of the EU-Mercosur Agreement and calls on the governments and parliaments of the countries involved not to ratify or implement this Agreement. There is no legitimacy in a trade agreement that is based on the violation of rights, the destruction of territories, and the worsening of the climate crisis. APIB advocates for the strengthening of multilateralism based on a model that prioritizes the defense of human rights, solidarity among peoples, and the protection of territories and the environment.
There can be no climate justice without the full protection of indigenous territories. There can be no sustainable development when peoples are sacrificed in the name of profit. The rights of indigenous peoples are not bargaining chips in trade negotiations.
APIB will continue to mobilize, denounce, and forge national and international alliances to block the ratification of the EU–Mercosur Agreement. Indigenous territories stand on the front line of the defense of life, the climate, and humanity’s future—and must no longer be treated as sacrifice zones.