President Dilma Rousseff and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Christine Lagarde, met on Thursday afternoon (May 21) in Brasília, where they talked about the potential economic benefits of a closer relationship between Mercosur and the European Union.

In brief press statement following the meeting, the IMF executive said she and Rousseff had a “good sharing of views” on the current state of the global economy. “[We discussed] matters of regional relevance and the possibility of closer trade relations between Mercosur and the European Union, and the potential economic benefits that could be derived from that,” he said.

The meeting took place at Palácio do Planalto shortly after Christine Lagarde met with Finance Minister Joaquim Levy. Minister Levy was also at the meeting with Rousseff, and so were Chief of Staff Aloizio Mercadante and Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira.

The environment was also on the agenda. “We discussed the climate change agenda and related issues that need urgent attention on a global scale,” Lagarde said.