The Chamber passed on Thursday (12th) the Mercosul trade agreement with Israel, according to the Proposal to Legislative Decree (PDC) n° 1665/09. The agreement will proceed now to the Senate. If approved, this will be the first free trade agreement between Mercosul and a country outside the block.

In the same occasion a trade agreement between Mercosul and Egypt (PDC n° 1105/08) was also approved. This Decree is the first step toward establishing a free trade or a tariff preference process for products or for specific sectors in Egypt and in Mercosul.

Five other international agreements were approved at the Floor’s extraordinary sitting held Thursday. All of them will follow to the Senate.

Still regarding the Middle East, the deputies approved a cultural cooperation agreement between Brazil and the Kingdom of Jordan (PDC n° 1682/09).

Technology
Two other agreements in the Science and Technology fields have been approved, with India and Canada. The agreement with India ( PDC n° 1670/09) is a renewal of cooperations that are already underway, but the text highlights the areas of biotechnology, chemistry, climate research, marine science, new materials, mathematics, physics, sources of sustainable and renewable energy, space and partnerships with the industry.

With Canada, the agreement contains instruments to finance activities and to facilitate the transit of personnel and equipment necessary for joint research.

Deputies also approved the PDC n° 2379/06, that allows the ratification of the extradition treaty with Suriname, and the PDC n° 1808/09, that approves the last revision of the statutes of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), made in 2007 to overhaul the internal structures.

Appeal
The deputies rejected the request by Deputy Marcelo Itagiba (PMDB-RJ) so that the Bill n° 4760/09 was considered by theFloor. The bill, which authorizes the Brazilian government to donate up to $ 25 million to the Palestinian Authority to rebuild the Gaza Strip, had been conclusively approved and now goes to the Senate.

Homage
In addition, the deputies approved the Bill n° 6133/09 by Deputy Rafael Guerra (PSDB-MG), naming the bridge over the Rio Grande as: "Integration Bridge Deputy Tristão da Cunha" . The bridge connects the cities of Passos and São João Batista da Glória in the Interstate BR-146, in Minas Gerais.

Tristão da Cunha had been a congressman for 50 years in Minas Gerais, but before that he was one of the main opponents to the dictatorial government of Getúlio Vargas. He was one of the signatories of the "Manifesto dos Mineiros," a letter published in 1943 in defense of the reinstitution of democracy and the end of the Estado Novo (New State). The manifesto is regarded as the first sign of dissatisfaction, which culminated in the overthrow of the dictatorship in 1945.

Report - Marcello Larcher
Edition - Wilson Silveira
Translation – Danielle Currlin