German-Brazilian Intergovernmental Consultations

The foremost item on the agenda for the Minister of Health Hermann Gröhe was the expansion of co-operation between both countries in the field of health. Among the steps taken to achieve this was meeting, for example, with his Brazilian counterpart, Health Minister Arthur Chioro, for bilateral talks. In the course of the meeting, both ministers signed a Joint Declaration aimed at strengthening bilateral co-operation between the Federal Ministry of Health and the Ministério de Saúde.

Background

In the course of her visit the previous year, during the Football World Cup in Brazil, Chancellor Merkel had agreed with Brazil's President Dilma Vana Rousseff that intergovernmental consultations would be held between both countries, starting in 2015. On the evening of 19th August, the German government delegation travelled to the Brazilian capital, Brasilia, to take part in the consultations. The intergovernmental talks proper took place on 20th August.

Germany holds intergovernmental consultations only with close partners. Such consultations serve to deepen and intensify bilateral relations. Furthermore, they strengthen co-operation when important global questions need to be addressed.