Brazil’s Senate Foreign Relations Committee approves OECD office installation

In 2017, Brazil made official its intention to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a multilateral body that brings together 38 nations that are among the most advanced economies in the world.

On Tuesday, September 20, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (CRE) approved an agreement between Brazil and the OECD to establish an organization’s office in Brazilian territory (PDL 253/2021).

The Rapporteur in the CRE was Senator Plínio Valério (PSDB-AM), who recalled that cooperation between Brazil and the OECD has been going on since the 1990s and has increased yearly.

“Brazil’s participation in the OECD started in the 1990s. Since then, Brazil has been active in 26 committees of this organization. There is already close collaboration between Brazil and the OECD, even though we are not yet a full member of this entity.

“The OECD Office in Brazil’s main objectives are to ensure the effective implementation of joint activities and to act as a point of contact between Brazilian authorities responsible for cooperation with the OECD secretariat, and we have taken another step towards definitively integrating the body,” he explained.

In a document sent to the CRE, Itamaraty explains that in 2007 the OECD launched the Enhanced Engagement program, aimed at strengthening ties with five selected emerging countries (South Africa, Brazil, China, India, and Indonesia), which are today considered key partners.

In this initiative, Itamaraty adds that Brazil has already adhered to 34 of the organization’s legal instruments. More than 80% of the 126 activities foreseen in the program have been concluded or are already in progress.

The analysis of the agreement for the opening of the office now goes to the Senate Plenary.

OTHER AGREEMENTS

The CRE also approved Brazil’s adhesion to the Geneva Act of the Hague Agreement concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs (PDL 274/2022).

The rapporteur was Senator Esperidião Amin (PP-SC), who valued that Brazil would become more attractive to international investments after joining the international agreement.

“Integrating Brazil into the international system for registering industrial designs will mean offering national users when registering their creations the possibility of quick protection at reduced costs in the territories of 92 countries, among which are almost all the major economies, such as the United States, Japan, England, and the European Union, as well as major developing economies such as Russia, Turkey, and Mexico.

“And companies from these countries will also have the same ease of registering their designs on the Brazilian market, which will reduce transaction costs and should make Brazil more attractive to investments, especially in sectors intensive in design and innovation,” said Amin.

The CRE also approved a complementary protocol to the cooperation agreement between Brazil and Chile in the Defense area. The Senate Plenary will analyze both agreements.

Also, on Tuesday, the CRE defined Senator Margareth Buzetti (PP-MT) as the collegiate president until February 2023, in place of Senator Kátia Abreu (PP-TO), who is out of office.

With information from Agência Senado