Brazil–France relations are the bilateral and historical relations between the

Federative Republic of Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

and the

French Republic France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. France and Brazil share a 730km long-border via the French department of

Guiana The Guianas, also spelled Guyanas or Guayanas, are a geographical region in north-eastern South America. Strictly, the term refers to the three Guianas: Guyana, Suriname, and French Guiana, formerly British, Dutch, and French Guiana respectiv ...

, the longest international border of France. The two countries are committed to strengthening their bilateral cooperation in the areas for which working groups have been created:

nuclear energy Nuclear energy may refer to: *Nuclear power, the use of sustained nuclear fission or nuclear fusion to generate heat and electricity *Nuclear binding energy, the energy needed to fuse or split a nucleus of an atom *Nuclear potential energy, the pot ...

renewable energies Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind power, and hydropower. Bioenergy and ...

, defence technologies,

technological innovation Technological innovation is an extended concept of innovation. While innovation is a rather well-defined concept, it has a broad meaning to many people, and especially numerous understanding in the academic and business world. Innovation refers to ...

, joint cooperation in

African countries This is a list of sovereign states and dependent territories in Africa. It includes fully recognised states, states with limited or zero recognition, and dependent territories of both African and non-African states. It lists 56 sovereign states ...

and space technologies, medicines and the environment. Brazil and France entered a formal

strategic alliance A strategic alliance is an agreement between two or more Legal party, parties to pursue a set of agreed upon objectives needed while remaining independent organizations. The alliance is a cooperation or collaboration which aims for a synergy wh ...

in 2008. France supports Brazil's ambition to become a global player on the international scene,Political relations
, French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. Retrieved on 2010-11-29. and has been a strong supporter of the Brazilian bid for a permanent seat on the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

. Through significant technology transfers, France intends to help Brazil acquire key technologies of a major

world power A great power is a sovereign state that is recognized as having the ability and expertise to exert its influence on a global scale. Great powers characteristically possess military and economic strength, as well as diplomatic and soft power ...

in the military, space, energy and technology sectors. According to a 2013

BBC World Service The BBC World Service is a British Public broadcasting, public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcas ...

Poll, 54% of

French people French people () are a nation primarily located in Western Europe that share a common Culture of France, French culture, History of France, history, and French language, language, identified with the country of France. The French people, esp ...

view Brazil's influence positively, with 32% expressing a negative view, while 50% of

Brazilians Brazilians (, ) are the citizens of Brazil. A Brazilian can also be a person born abroad to a Brazilian parent or legal guardian as well as a person who acquired Brazilian nationality law, Brazilian citizenship. Brazil is a multiethnic society, ...

view France's influence positively, with 19% expressing a negative view.

History

In 2019, Brazilian President

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...

commented that he would only accept $20 million in G7 aid to fight the Amazon rainforest wildfires if French President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...

retracted criticisms which he found offensive, accusing Macron of a "colonialist mentality". After a period of relative isolation and neglect under Bolsonaro, Brazil re-engaged in parterships with France under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, notably in green policies and defense projects such as the extension of the Franco-Brazilian

Submarine Development Program The Submarine Development Program (PROSUB) is a partnership signed between Brazil and France in 2008, with the objective of Technology transfer, transferring technology for the Manufacturing, manufacture of military vessels. It is a component of ...

Trade relations

Brazil is France's leading trade partner in

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and its fourth most important partner outside

OECD The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; , OCDE) is an international organization, intergovernmental organization with 38 member countries, founded in 1961 to stimulate economic progress and international trade, wor ...

. Over 500 French companies are established directly in Brazil and employ over 250,000 people. Total trade between the two countries surpassed $6.5 billion

dollars Dollar is the name of more than 25 currencies. The United States dollar, named after the international currency known as the Spanish dollar, was established in 1792 and is the first so named that still survives. Others include the Australian d ...

in 2009.

Cultural relations

Brazil is France's leading partner in Latin America for

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

scientific Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

, and technical cooperation. Three French

secondary school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...

s (

Brasília Brasília ( ; ) is the capital city, capital of Brazil and Federal District (Brazil), Federal District. Located in the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West Region, Brazil, Central-West region, it was founded by President Juscelino ...

Rio Rio or Río is the Portuguese and Spanish word for "river". The word also exists in Italian, but is largely obsolete and used in a poetical or literary context to mean "stream". Rio, RIO or Río may also refer to: Places United States * Rio, Fl ...

, and

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

) have a total of 2,150 students; 1,000 of whom are French. The '' Alliances françaises'' in Brazil constitute the oldest and most extensive in the world (74 establishments in 52 cities). Brazil, through its past and present connections to France, is eligible for membership with the

Organisation internationale de la Francophonie The (OIF; sometimes shortened to ''La Francophonie'', , sometimes also called International Organisation of in English) is an international organization representing where there is a notable affiliation with French language and culture. ...

. Both countries also share the distinction of being the largest Roman Catholic-majority countries by population on their respective continents.

Cross-border cooperation

Brazil and France share a 730 km

border Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...

between the state of

Amapá Amapá (; ) is one of the 26 federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil. It is in the North Region, Brazil, North Region of Brazil. It is Federative units of Brazil#List, the second-least populous state and the eighteenth-largest state by area ...

and the

overseas department The overseas departments and regions of France (, ; DROM) are the five departments and regions of the French Republic which are located outside European France (also known as " metropolitan France"). These overseas entities have exactly the s ...

French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...

. The

cross-border Borders are generally defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders ...

cooperation between the two countries has enjoyed increased vitality. This cooperation makes it possible to better integrate French Guiana into its geographical environment, to respond to the concerns of both parties about the various cross-border risks, to encourage human exchanges and trade and to develop the economy of the

Amazon region The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...

, respecting the local populations and extraordinary environment. The granting to France, on the initiative of Brazil, of observer status within the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization, will strengthen this cooperation. The construction of the

Oyapock River Bridge The Franco-Brazilian Binational Bridge spans the Oyapock River, linking the cities of Oiapoque in Amapá, Brazil and Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock in French Guiana, France. The bridge is cable-stayed bridge, cable-stayed, with two towers rising to a ...

over the

Oyapock River The Oyapock or Oiapoque ( ; ; ) is a long river in South America that forms most of the border between the French overseas department of French Guiana and the Brazilian state of Amapá. Course The Oyapock runs through the Guianan moist for ...

, decided during President Lula’s visit to France, made the

Cayenne Cayenne (; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and capital city of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. The city stands on a former island at the mouth of the Caye ...

Macapá Macapá () is a city in Brazil with a population of 512,902 (2020 estimate), and is the capital of Amapá state in the country's North Region, Brazil, North Region, located on the northern channel of the Amazon Delta near its mouth on the Atlant ...

road link possible. The bridge was opened in 2017.

Military cooperation

Defence cooperation has undergone major developments in recent years. On July 15, 2005, Brazil and France signed several military cooperation agreements in areas such as aviation and advanced military technologies. On 2008, the two countries entered a

Status of Forces Agreement A status of forces agreement (SOFA) is an agreement between a host country and a foreign nation stationing military forces in that country. SOFAs are often included, along with other types of military agreements, as part of a comprehensive security ...

. On 23 December 2008, Brazil and France established a formal strategic alliance. Brazil and France signed a major defense pact on December 24, 2008. At the occasion, the Brazilian government purchased 50 EC-725 Super Cougar helicopters, a nuclear submarine, and four s from the French government worth an estimated $12 billion.

Brazilian President The president of Brazil (), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil () or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head of government of Brazil. The president leads the executive branch of the ...

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known Mononym, mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist and former metalworker who has served as the 39th president of Brazil since 2023. A mem ...

and

French President The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is the supreme magistracy of the country, the pos ...

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa ( ; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. In 2021, he was found guilty of having tried to bribe a judge in 2014 to obtain information ...

signed an accord approving the sale in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. All these contracts come with significant technology transfer and offer considerable participation prospects for the Brazilian industry. The helicopters will be built locally by the Brazilian firm

Helibras Helibras or ''Helicópteros do Brasil'' S.A. (Helicopters of Brazil, Inc.) is a Brazil-based helicopter manufacturer which is a wholly owned subsidiary of Airbus Helicopters, a division of Airbus. Helibras has produced and delivered more than 800 ...

in partnership with

Eurocopter Airbus Helicopters SAS (formerly Eurocopter S.A., trade name, trading as Eurocopter Group) is the helicopter manufacturer, helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopte ...

. The four conventional Scorpènes will also be built locally, in a new

shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...

being built by

Odebrecht Odebrecht S.A. (), officially known as Novonor, is a Brazilian conglomerate, headquartered in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil, consisting of diversified businesses in the fields of engineering, construction, chemicals and petrochemicals. The company w ...

and DCNS in

Itaguaí Itaguaí () is a municipality located in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro and contains several important iron ore loading ports of the world including Ilha Guaiba. Its population was 134,819 in 2020 and its area is 273 km2. The city wa ...

state of Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil. It has the second largest economy of Brazil, with the largest being that of the state of São Paulo. The state, which has 8.2% of the Brazilian population, is responsible for 9.2% of ...

. In September 2009, the two countries announced a joint venture between

Agrale Agrale, previously called AGRISA, is a Brazilian vehicle manufacturer. Established in 1962, it is based in Caxias do Sul in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Agrale manufactures tractors, commercial vehicles, military vehicles, bus, chassis and en ...

and

Renault Trucks Renault Trucks was a French commercial truck manufacturer with corporate headquarters at Saint-Priest near Lyon. Originally part of Renault, it was a subsidiary of Volvo since 2001. In July 2024, John Cockerill (company) completed the takeover ...

to produce military transport vehicles. In late 2019, it was reported that, under then-president

, the Brazilian military viewed France as its biggest potential threat due to disputes over the Amazon rainforest.Brazil's military elite sees France as country's biggest threat, leaked report reveals
France 24

Transportation

There are direct flights between Brazil and France with the following airlines:

Air France Air France (; legally ''Société Air France, S.A.''), stylised as AIRFRANCE, is the flag carrier of France, and is headquartered in Tremblay-en-France. The airline is a subsidiary of the Air France-KLM Group and is one of the founding members ...

LATAM Brasil LATAM Airlines Brasil, formerly TAM Linhas Aéreas, is the Brazilian brand of LATAM Airlines Group operating international and domestic flights from hubs in Brasília, Fortaleza, and São Paulo. According to the National Civil Aviation Agency of ...

and

Azul Azul, meaning "blue" in Spanish and Portuguese, may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Azul'' (Los Piojos album), 1998 * ''Azul'' (Cristian Castro album), 2001 ** "Azul" (song), the title song * Azul Azul, a Bolivian pop-dance music group * " ...

. A road connects the French city of

in Brazil, via. a bridge over the

, which is known as the N2 in French Guiana, and BR-156 in Brazil.

Lobster War

When the Brazilian navy moved to intercept French lobster fisherman off the coast of the state of

Pernambuco Pernambuco ( , , ) is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.5 million people as of 2024, it is the List of Brazilian states by population, ...

in 1961, the French Navy deployed vessels in response. This is considered a bloodless war as no casualties occurred nor violence.

Scientific cooperation

France is Brazil's second-leading scientific partner, after the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Brazil is France's leading scientific partner in Latin America.Cultural, scientific and technical cooperation
French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs. Retrieved on 2010-11-29. The two countries cooperate in the areas of

climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...

sustainable development Sustainable development is an approach to growth and Human development (economics), human development that aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.United Nations General ...

biodiversity Biodiversity is the variability of life, life on Earth. It can be measured on various levels. There is for example genetic variability, species diversity, ecosystem diversity and Phylogenetics, phylogenetic diversity. Diversity is not distribut ...

and the

genome A genome is all the genetic information of an organism. It consists of nucleotide sequences of DNA (or RNA in RNA viruses). The nuclear genome includes protein-coding genes and non-coding genes, other functional regions of the genome such as ...

Resident diplomatic missions

;Of Brazil *

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

(Embassy) *

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

(Consulate-General) *

Saint-Georges de l'Oyapock Saint-Georges (; ; sometimes unofficially called Saint-Georges-de-l'Oyapock; ) is a Communes of France, commune of French Guiana, an overseas region and Overseas department, department of France located in South America. It lies on the Oyapock Ri ...

(Consulate) ;Of France *

(Embassy) *

Recife Recife ( , ) is the Federative units of Brazil, state capital of Pernambuco, Brazil, on the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic coast of South America. It is the largest urban area within both the North Region, Brazil, North and the Northeast R ...

(Consulate-General) *

(Consulate-General) File:Ambassade du Brésil en France, 34 cours Albert-Ier, Paris 8e 2.jpg, Embassy of Brazil in Paris File:Consulat général du Brésil à Paris, 65 avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt, Paris 8e.jpg, Consulate-General of Brazil in Paris File:Consulates-General of France and Germany in Rio de Janeiro.jpg, Consulate-General of France in Rio de Janeiro

References

External links

Embassy of France in Brasília
Official website
Embassy of Brazil in Paris
Official website {{DEFAULTSORT:Brazil-France relations

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Bilateral relations of France

History

Trade relations

Cultural relations

Cross-border cooperation

Military cooperation

Transportation

Lobster War

Scientific cooperation

Resident diplomatic missions

See also

References

External links