Government prepares national policy for the mining sector in response to international interest.
President Lula also criticizes the Bolsonaro clan for their actions against Brazil.
247 - President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva reiterated that rare earth and critical mineral resources will be the subject of a national policy, currently under development, aimed at protecting this resource and keeping it under the control of the federal government.
President Lula was referring to the negotiation and resistance process against the tariffs imposed by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, on national export products, and the penalties applied by the US government to judicial authorities.
Lula gave a speech during the opening ceremony of the Sustainable Economic and Social Development Council meeting, this Tuesday (5).
"Protecting our sovereignty is an objective that transcends all parties and all tendencies. The government will not compromise or waver in its duty to preserve it," said Lula.
The meeting brought together representatives from all business sectors, union representatives, civil society organizations, the artistic community, universities, and other social segments.
The president stated, between impromptu comments and reading from his prepared speech, that one of Trump's real motivations is not even political, but, on a lower level, simply electoral.
Lula again criticized the Bolsonaro clan and its supporters for their actions against Brazil, inciting Trump to boycott the Brazilian economy. Without directly naming these people, Lula stated:
"In no instance of tariff increases applied to other countries has there been an attempt to interfere with the independence of the powers of the country. This interference has been aided by true traitors to the nation, who here have attempted and publicly defend actions against Brazil. Several sectors of the economy are affected by the cowardice of those who have allied themselves with interests foreign to our nation," he said.
Critical minerals and rare earth elements - Regarding the tariff hikes, Lula emphasized that "Brazil never left the negotiating table," and recalled his government's diplomatic efforts with the US since the global threat of Trump-style tariff increases hovered around 10%.
The president also stated that he himself has been involved in expanding markets for Brazil, having participated in 15 international business seminars and led a team that opened 398 new destinations for national products.
Regarding rare earth and critical minerals, which are coveted by other countries because of their usefulness in the production of high-tech components, Lula said that the National Council for Mineral Policy is preparing a national policy for the sector, as highlighted by the Government Agency.
According to the president, the objective of this policy is to ensure that the exploitation of these resources remains under Brazilian control and is also used for the economic and social development of the country itself.
