The country owed US$5.1 million, but managed to renegotiate the amount. The new amount is kept confidential by the OECD and Itamaraty
Brazil did not pay the fee of €5.1 million (R$27 million) in 2023 to join the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development). The amount should have been paid in April. The government requested a reduction in the value. It achieved.
The final value is being kept confidential by both Itamaraty and the OECD. The reason is that there are 5 other countries that make up the group that started the accession process in 2022. And they all pay the same amount. There is fear of possible adverse reactions.
With the reduction in value, the government authorized payment. The money is already being transferred to the entity.
The reason Itamaraty requested a reduction in value is because it did not participate in all the actions carried out by the various commissions created by the government for membership. Brazil has 26 thematic committees to negotiate its entry. In the government of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), the matter was treated as a priority. The current government has taken its foot off the accelerator, as anticipated Power360 Celso Amorim, still in the electoral campaign.
The interministerial working group on the OECD had only one meeting in 2023, on October 2. It was installed in August. But there have been discussions on the Esplanada dos Ministérios for two decades, under different administrations, about cooperation with the OECD and possible entry into the institution. The entry process began in October 2022 during the government of Jair Bolsonaro.
The fee of €5.1 million for accession (entry) to the body will be charged each year while the country is a candidate. To stop receiving the charge, you must stop applying to join the institution.
Entry queue
The OECD accession process is time-consuming. It will not be completed before 2026. Without commitment from the government, it will be delayed. There are 5 other candidate countries, 3 from Europe (Romania, Croatia and Bulgaria), and 3 from South America (Brazil, Argentina and Peru). It is likely that they will join the institution before Brazil.
Argentina was invited to begin the accession process in 2022. The previous government, led by Alberto Fernández, did not continue the process. The current president, Javier Milei, returned to the process as one of his government's first actions. Indonesia formalized its application to join the OECD. The process should begin in 2024.
Technicians from different areas of the federal administration said, on condition that they not be identified, that there would be advantages for the current government in expanding cooperation with the OECD. In many situations, the improvement of public policies defended by the body coincides with what Planalto seeks.
The minister Fernando Haddad (Treasury) defended in May 2023 changes in the decisions of Carf (Administrative Council of Tax Appeals) with the argument that they were an adaptation to OECD rules. Congress approved the change to Carf in August.
In January 2023, Haddad had stated in Davos, Switzerland, that the government would discuss the process of joining the OECD. But the matter cooled off later. There are doubts whether it will be postponed or suspended by the government.
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