The Secretary of State for Commerce, Xiana Méndez; CEOE CEO Antonio Garamendi; and his counterpart from the Chamber of Commerce of Spain, José Luis Bonet; They held an institutional meeting at CEOE today with the president of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, Rodrigo Maia, for future bilateral economic relations and opportunities for cooperation in key sectors of the country. The Brazilian delegation was composed of the first vice president of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcos Pereira; Rodrigo Maia's special advisor, Ambassador Marcelo Dantas; Deputy Elmer José Vieira; or Minister Adriano Silva; Among other authorities.
The Secretary of State for Commerce, Xiana Méndez, highlighted the conciliatory, negotiating and reformist profile of the president of the Chamber of Deputies and the strategic importance of Brazil for Spanish companies, where our country is the third foreign investor and generates two thirds of All the jobs created by the European Union in Brazil.
He also stressed the importance of multilateralism and trade opening, and advocated the early entry into force of the Agreement between the EU and Mercosur, an agreement that would launch the largest commercial area in the world. The Secretary of State also assured that Spain represents an excellent investment platform for Brazilian companies with interests in the rest of Europe and North Africa.
Reforms
During his speech, the CEOE CEO conveyed on behalf of Spanish businessmen full support for the structural reforms initiated by the current Brazilian government in the areas of taxation, administration, privatization of public companies and the promotion of a more environment favorable for businesses. Garamendi stressed that they are major reforms, such as the Social Security Plan, which are projecting abroad the firm will to ensure the medium and long-term viability of the national economy.
"The businessmen have welcomed with great satisfaction the request of the Brazilian government to join the OECD," Garamendi said; who considered that this initiative should have the full support of the European Union and of Spain, since it would mean adapting the regulatory framework to the most demanding regulatory standards and incorporating Brazil into the most advanced group of countries in the world.
The CEOE CEO agreed with the Secretary of State in highlighting the importance of the Agreement between the EU and Mercosur, an advanced agreement that not only provides for tariff disarmament, but also includes transcendental chapters concerning investments, services, public procurement, intellectual property, regulatory cooperation or sustainability. Garamendi considered that the agreement is fundamental, since it establishes an institutional and regulatory framework that would provide bilateral economic relations with greater security and predictability and contribute to the Mercosur regional integration process.
Collaboration CEOE-CEIB and CNI
Garamendi also highlighted the excellent relationship between CEOE and CNI (National Confederation of Industries) through the OIE, the Global Business Coalition and Business at OECD, and through the Council of Ibero-American Businessmen. Fruit of the close collaboration between two organizations is the participation of both in the XXVII Ibero-American Summit of Heads of State and Government in November in Andorra. Garamendi also announced that CEOE-CEIB, in collaboration with SEGIB and CNI, will organize next June in Brasilia the IV Ibero-American Forum of MSMEs, in order to promote policies for the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises of the Ibero-American space.
The president of the Chamber of Commerce of Spain said that Brazil remains a very attractive market for Spanish exporting companies and one of the main destinations of Spanish direct investments. Likewise, José Luis Bonet highlighted the new initiatives launched by the Government of Brazil to encourage investment in infrastructure, such as the Research Partnerships Program and the plans and projects that are being developed at the level of States and municipalities.
“These initiatives offer undoubted opportunities for Spanish companies, both those that are installed in the country and those that, we hope, will be established in the coming years, in new sectors and in collaboration with Brazilian counterparts. It is a process where institutions like the ones we are here today, we are going to favor, ”he added.
Private sector
The president of the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, Rodrigo Maia, said that, given the loss of foreign direct investment in Brazil in recent years, Spanish companies have been an example of commitment to their investment position in the country. With regard to the reforms of the Government, Maia explained that they are pursuing the reorganization of the structuring of the State and improving the investment confidence of the private sector. Therefore, to achieve these objectives, it is intended to reduce the ceiling of public spending; modernize the oil sector; control social security spending; reform the Administration to boost the efficiency of the public sector; reform the tax system, in order to unify the regulations at the federal, state and municipal levels; improve legal certainty; enact more modern, transparent and objective laws on gas and sanitation; and to establish a new law on cooperation in public concessions, improving the regulatory framework to attract direct investment to the country.
Rodrigo Maia placed special emphasis on the tourism sector, since Brazil is an important issuer of tourists in the region and in Europe, "but there is still a lot of room," he said. In this regard, he also highlighted the Government's efforts to improve Brazil's position as a tourist receiver, taking into account that the country has enormous potential for its wealth and diversity. The president of the Chamber mentioned, to close his speech, that the main objective of Parliament is to set the ideal conditions to boost investment in the area and, for this, the involvement of the private sector is key.
MSME Forum
Before the end of the meeting, a table tour was held, during which the Deputy General Secretary of the Ibero-American General Secretariat, Marcos Pinta Gama, highlighted SEGIB's close collaboration with CEIB, as well as the intense activity and joint work carried out by both organizations with SEBRAE (Brazilian Service of Support to Micro and Small Enterprises), CNI and the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services of Brazil to organize and prepare the IV Ibero-American Forum of MSMEs, which will take place in June in Brasilia. Likewise, he pointed out, the preparation of the next Andorra Summit is also a perfect example of Latin American cooperation, in which Brazil plays a fundamental role as a founding member.
