The Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations and National Defence, Deputy Severiano Alves (PDT-BA), highlighted among the activities of this semester the approbation of message 537/08, from the Executive, which creates the Union of South American Nations (Unasur). The new entity aggregates Mercosur and the Andean Community.

Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela will make part of the new group. The French Guyana and Falkland Islands, territories that belong to European countries, are left out. Signed in May, the agreement that originated the Unasur was approved on 15th by the Committee.

The objective of Unasur will be to build a comprehensive area of integration and union in the cultural, social, economic and political context, prioritizing educational, energy, infrastructure, financing and environmental policies.

Treaties
Besides, Severiano Alves reaffirmed the commitment in expediting the arrangement of the international agreements: “The committees on Foreign Relations of the Chamber and of the Senate are in a common effort to clean the agenda. We are not going to accumulate any project. Inclusively, the Floor of the Chamber has been using the Thursdays to vote in these agreements”, he remembered.

The request for the international agreements being approved more quickly came from the Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, who suggested that such agreements should not need the Floor's approval. Severiano Alves reminded that such change depends on a project that needs to be voted in The Floor. He estimates that it will be necessary to ask for the support of the Leaders in order to approve the proposal.

Controversy
An international agreement that causes many debates in the Chamber is what institutes the Status of the Roman Catholic Church in Brazil (issue of Message 134/09 of the Executive). Agreed with the Holy See, the agreement awaits to be voted in the collegiate. The provision of religious education in public schools, specially, causes controversy, however, the Constitutionality of the document was also questioned. By pressure of the deputies contrary to the text, the voting was postponed to August 5th.

Reporting - Geórgia Moraes/The Chamber's Radio Station
Edition – João Pitella Junior
Translation - Grupo Solucion/ Thamara Mello