To sustain the changes required by the Brazil's Plan 2022, the country needs to grow an average of 7% per year from 2011, according to the Ministry for Strategic Affairs Secretariat (SAE) of the Presidency, Samuel Guimarães. "It may seem unlikely, but I believe we'll succeed," he said at a public hearing sponsored by the committees of the Amazon, National Integration and Regional Development, Economic Development, Industry and Trade, and Environment and Sustainable Development.

Brazil's Plan 2022 is a package of social, economic and environmental goals for the country in the year that will be the bicentennial of Brazilian independence. Among the measures proposed in the draft, published by SAE two weeks ago, is the end of illiteracy, extreme poverty (people living on less than two dollars a day) and malnutrition by 2022. The final document will be delivered on June 30 to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

According to Guimarães, Brazil has the capacity to invest in the expansion of productive activity and, consequently, improve the quality of life of all Brazilians: "BNDES generates about $ 180 billion per year. The taxes collected with companies generate the necessary funds to the government for social programs and construction of roads, for example." Guimarães also stressed the importance of the Brazilian National Congress in developing public policies to the growth of the country.

South America
The reduction of economic disparities between Brazil and other countries of South America is another challenge to be faced to achieve the goals of the Brazil's Plan 2022, according to Guimarães. "The prosperity of our neighbors favors development as it strengthens the bilateral transactions," he said.

According to Guimarães, Brazil currently shows a high trade surplus in relation to South American countries. The only exception, he said, is Bolivia, due to the natural gas trade. For the Ministry, the trend is that the "gap" among nations increases, if Brazil does not invest in integration policies. "Our export list is much more diversified than that of our neighbors, so the imbalance tends to grow," he warned. Samuel Guimarães defended the deployment of multinational programs in the areas of transport, energy and telecommunications.
 

Ambitious plan
Other goals set by Brazil’s Plan 2022 are to increase formal employment, equal wages for men and women, make universal the access to broadband, triple the subway network in major cities, and achieve autonomy in medicines production. "The plan is ambitious, but possible to achieve", defended Guimarães.

Deputy Dr. Ubiali (PSB-SP), however, warned of the country difficulty in meeting some of the targets set, as the one that reduces to zero the level of deforestation. He defended the importance of Plan for Targets, particularly for providing universal education full time.

Yet, deputy Fernando Marroni (PT-RS) praised the environmental targets of Brazil’s Plan 2022. The package provides strategies to encourage the use of alternative energies, and second Marroni the plan must contribute for Brazil to open a cycle of conscious consumption in the world. "The planet will not tolerate the wasteful consumption of the United States and some European countries", he warned.

Reporting - Marcelo Oliveira
Edition - Maria Clarice Dias
Translation - Grupo Solucion-SP Language/Suzana Pinheiro Lara