German Environment Minister, Carsten Schneider, published praise for Belém on his Instagram account
German Environment Minister Carsten Schneider said on Monday (17/11) that Brazil is “a wonderful country” and regretted not being able to stay longer after the COP — the UN conference on climate change being held in Belém.
The statements were published by the minister on the same day that they echoed speeches by the German Chancellor (position equivalent to Prime Minister), Friedrich Merz, in which he disparagingly compared Brazil with Germany.
In a speech given at the German Trade Congress last week, on November 13, Merz said that his country was one of the “most beautiful in the world” and that all the German journalists who were at the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), in Belém, were happy to leave the city.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. I asked some journalists who were with me in Brazil last week: ‘Which of you would like to stay here?’ Nobody raised their hand. Everyone was happy that we returned to Germany, the night of Friday to Saturday, especially from where we were.”
Merz’s speeches had repercussions this week in Brazil.
On Monday, the German Environment Minister published a photo on his Instagram account of himself fishing in the Amazon.
In the image, Carsten Schneider highlights his speech, in Portuguese: “Brazil is a wonderful country, with welcoming people and good hosts. It’s a shame that I won’t be able to stay longer after the COP. I would have some ideas, for example, fishing with my friends from the Amazon.” This statement appears in German in the text of the post.
On Monday, the German magazine Stern had highlighted on its website: “The Environment Minister needs to calm tempers in Brazil after Merz’s criticism”.
Stern highlighted a speech by Schneider that would, according to the publication, be an “explicit compliment” to Belém after Merz’s speech: “Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to get a first impression of Belém, this magnificent city, and its surroundings. I saw enormous commitment, wonderful people, but also a lot of poverty.”
Regarding Belém, the magazine states that “a significant amount of money was invested in the city for the climate conference, and many constructions and renovations were carried out in several neighborhoods”.
“Yet dilapidated houses, potholed streets and polluted waterways still dominate the urban landscape in many areas,” states the Stern report.
Chancellor Merz’s speech was given in Germany after he had already left Belém.
The speech in which Merz talks about Belém was transcribed and made available by the German government and published on the website and YouTube channel of the German Commerce Congress, organized by Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE), the main retail federation in Germany.
According to Deutsche Welle (DW), Germany’s public international broadcaster, on the occasion, Merz asked those present to value Germany’s free and prosperous commercial environment.
On Monday, the mayor of Belém, Igor Normando (MDB), published a video on his social networks calling Merz’s speech “arrogant and prejudiced”.
The governor of Pará, Helder Barbalho (MDB), also reacted to the statement on his networks.
“It’s curious to see whoever helped warm the planet find the heat in the Amazon strange. A prejudiced speech from the German chancellor”, wrote Barbalho on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
BBC News Brasil contacted the German Chancellor’s spokesperson and also the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the Environment, but received no response.
Germany’s contribution to the forest fund
Merz was at the Leaders’ Summit in Belém, where he participated in a bilateral meeting with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).
The chancellor announced Germany’s participation in the Tropical Forests Forever Fund (TFFF).
“We will contribute a considerable amount,” said Merz, during a press conference.
The value, however, has not been confirmed.
Friedrich Merz said that “everyone was happy that we returned to Germany, the night of Friday to Saturday, especially from that place where we were”, in reference to Belém | EPA
The fund is one of the Brazilian government’s efforts in relation to financing actions to combat climate change. The official launch of the fund was made last week and the government’s expectation is that it can, in the long term, raise up to US$125 billion.
Friederich Merz is leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the party of former Chancellor Angela Merkel, with whom he had disputes in the past.
He became chancellor — a position that heads the government in the country, similar to that of prime minister — in May, after being elected in a second vote.
In the first vote, the conservative leader unexpectedly fell short of the numbers needed to form a majority in parliament.
Merz is a straight-talking, pro-business, social conservative. He worked as a lawyer but was always interested in politics and was elected to the European Parliament in 1989, aged 33.
Overshadowed by Merkel since 2002, he eventually left politics, served on the boards of investment banks and took up flying planes as a hobby.
In 2018, he ran for party leadership, but lost again to Merkel and then to Armin Laschet, who was ultimately defeated in the 2021 German election.
Merz then took command of the CDU and ran under the slogan “A Germany we can be proud of again”.
During the elections, he promised permanent border controls and stricter asylum rules to restrict immigration, as well as reducing taxes and cutting 50 billion euros in social welfare spending to revive the German economy. He also pledged to reinforce aid to Ukraine.
Originally published by BBC News on 11/18/2025
By Daniel Gallas – BBC News Brasil in London
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2025/11/18/ministro-alemao-elogia-brasil-apos-critica-de-chanceler-pena-que-nao-poderei-ficar-mais-tempo/
