For the government, the Ports Provisional Measure is indispensable.

Carolina Gonçalves*
Reporter from Agência Brasil

Brasilia – The vote on Provisional Measure 595, known as the Ports MP, is non-negotiable for the government. According to the Minister of Institutional Relations, Ideli Salvati, the proposal is fundamental for the country and will guarantee improved flow and agility of port operations in Brazil.

"The government is clear that [the issue of] ports is a bottleneck, that it's something that's being strangled, needs to be resized, revitalized in order to allow for the smooth flow of goods entering and leaving Brazil," she said.

After participating in a meeting with government leaders in the Senate, Ideli endorsed the warning from the bill's rapporteur, Senator Eduardo Braga (PMDB-AM), according to whom the capacity for negotiation to reach an understanding "has reached its limit." "If you distort the Provisional Measure to such an extent that it no longer has any effectiveness or possibility of modifying and improving the situation of Brazilian ports, then there is no need to approve it," the minister added.

Today (23), during a meeting of the commission that analyzes the provisional measure, Braga warned that the approval of points without consensus could result in vetoes, altering the current position of the government which, according to him, committed to not vetoing the points of the report that deal with the rights of workers in the sector and the articles on the renewal of lease agreements, if the text is approved as is by parliamentarians.

The report on the provisional measure is due to be voted on tomorrow (24) in the joint committee that is studying the matter.

*Sabrina Craide collaborated
Editing: Nadia Franco