Chico Lopes condemns handing over pre-salt oil reserves to foreign capital.

Ceará 247 - Federal deputy Chico Lopes (PCdoB-CE) warns of the consequences of handing over Brazil's pre-salt reserves to large foreign capital, which was finalized this Friday in an auction held after a last-minute court decision allowed the sale of oil fields to multinational companies.

"The pre-salt oil, which was intended for citizenship, the National Education Plan, public health, and the country's sovereignty, will now increase the profits of large companies in the sector, outside of Brazil," emphasizes Chico Lopes, lamenting that the Federal Government, by decision of Temer and ministers like the "disappeared" PSDB member José Serra, has completely modified the pre-salt sharing model in such a short time, harming the Brazilian people so much.

Lopes points out that on Friday morning, the president of the Federal Regional Court of the 1st Region (TRF1), Judge Hilton José Gomes de Queiroz, decided to overturn a preliminary injunction that had been granted by Judge Ricardo de Sales, of the 3rd Federal Civil Court of Amazonas.

"The judge's decision suspended the auctions for the sharing of pre-salt blocks, responding to a challenge presented by the Oil Workers Union of Amazonas. The union correctly questioned the changes that Temer and Serra made to the law that established Petrobras as the sole operator of the pre-salt, with a participation of at least 30%," explains Lopes.

"Unfortunately, a new law, originating from a project by José Serra and approved by Congress in 2016, already under the Temer administration, foresees the handover of the pre-salt reserves to foreign companies. The Brazilian people are the ones who lose out, as they will no longer have access to important resources, both now and in the future. Money and decision-making power that placed Brazil in a prominent position on the world oil map," warns Lopes, regarding the eight blocks auctioned today for the exploration and production of oil and natural gas.

"People need to be aware of this issue. The 'The Oil is Ours' campaign is increasingly relevant. We cannot give up these resources, nor this sovereignty," urges Chico Lopes. "It is necessary to mobilize to reverse, judicially and politically, this decision which is an insult to Brazil."

Chico Lopes emphasizes that, as Professor Gilberto Bercovici from the USP Law School points out, Petrobras's guarantee as the sole operator of the pre-salt fields meant that the pace of investment and production of all pre-salt projects, as well as the decision on potential partnerships and with whom to partner, remained in the hands of the Federal Government.

"This is not to mention the functions of controlling the environmental impact and accurately determining the flow rate and quantity of oil extracted, all previously performed by Petrobras. Without it as the sole operator of the pre-salt fields, it also becomes impossible to stimulate the national industry through national content policies. These policies generate jobs here in Brazil and stimulate the development of our industrial capacity," adds the professor.

"The policy of encouraging technological innovation, which generated all of Petrobras' pioneering role in deep-water oil exploration, was also harmed by the state-owned company's removal as the sole operator of the pre-salt fields," the professor also points out.

Pig iron: Press Office of Congressman Chico Lopes