Sandro Mabel: That body should manage investments currently dispersed throughout the states of the region

On Wednesday (10), the Complementary Bill (PLP) 184/04, from the Executive Power, which re-creates the Superintendence on Sustainable Development of the Center-West Region (Sudeco), was approved by the House Floor. The bill had been approved by the deputies in 2006, together with the re-creation of Sudam and Sudene, but returned only this week to Senate for its definitive approval. The project follows to Presidential sanction.

The main innovation introduced by the senators into the approved substitution bill is the creation of the Fund for the Development of the Center-West Region (FDCO), in the same standards of the existing ones for the Amazon and the Northeastern regions. The rapporteur of the Chamber, Deputy Sandro Mabel (PR-GO) recommended the approval of the text coming from the Senate. He highlighted that, without Sudeco, the Center-West grows in an unorganized way, but that the body will be able to manage investments currently dispersed throughout the states of the region.

In addition to the creation of FDCO, the bill also provides for changes in the management of the Constitutional Fund for the Financing of the Center-West Region (FCO). Most of the changes target to adapt the guidelines of FCO to the new Sudeco, which should take part in the resources management. The bill also determines that 2% of the resources of FDCO be reserved for research, development and technologies benefiting the region.

Fomentation bank
The bill allows resources from the two funds to be managed by a fomentation institution, which would be later created (the government has already been studying the creation of a body in the same model of Northeastern Development Bank). There have been negotiations for the Banco de Brasília (BRB) to assume the function in a provisory character.

Ombudsman
The approved text also establishes actions to increase the transparency of Sudeco, such as the submitting of semi-annual reports to the Congress and the publication of the results of the financed actions or of actions that may use resources from FDCO or from FCO. Moreover, the project provides for the creation of the ombudsmen in Sudeco, Sudam and Sudene, with their own rules, to assist population and to inspect the resources application.

During the week, governors of the Federal District, of Goiás, of Mato Grosso, and of Mato Grosso do Sul were at the Chamber, as asked for the approval of the project, so that resources of Sudeco are included in the Budget for 2009.

Report - Marcello Larcher
Editing - Pierre Triboli
Translation - Positive Idiomas Ltda