Brazil – Russia Dialogue: Economic Policy Challenges Workshop

Brazil - Russia Dialogue: Economic Policy Challenges, an international workshop on exchange of experience organized by the Gaidar Institute and RANEPA together with ESAF School of Public Finance Management under the Ministry of Finance of Brazil was held on June 26-27, 2012.

The plenary session: Brazil and Russia: Strategies and Challenges of Economic Policy Making was addressed by representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Mr. Carlos Antonio Da Rocha Parahnos, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brazil to Russia, Mr. Carlos Henrique de Azevedo Moreira, Deputy Director General of ESAF and Mr. Vladimir Mau, Rector of RANEPA.

"Starting from the mid-80s, Brazil has been a source of interesting experience for Russian economists. Though their social structures are different, Russia and Brazil have very much in common as regards their economic structure," noted Vladimir Mau.

Mr. Carlos Antonio Da Rocha Parahnos, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Brazil to Russia agreed with the Rector of RANEPA: "At present, we encounter some challenges which we have to overcome. Many of them are familiar to Russia, as well," he added. "My goal as an ambassador is to achieve that Brazil is perceived in Russia as a key and, more importantly, natural partner. It is crucial to maintain an informative dialogue free of any stereotypes between our countries," stressed Mr. Carlos Antonio.

A priority line of cooperation between the two countries has become education. Within the frameworks of the workshop, RANEPA and ESAF signed a memorandum on strategic partnership. The parties intend to promote cooperation in joint economic research, exchange of experts and development of joint training programs.

Within the frameworks of the workshop, sessions were held on the following issues: Fiscal Policy Challenges in Brazil and Russia (Moderator: Mr. Sergei Drobyshevsky, Director of the Center for Macroeconomics and Finance of the Gaidar Institute), Keeping Public Debt Under Control (Moderator: Mr. Stepan Titov, Leading Economist of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development), Financial System: Managing in a Times of Crisis (Moderator: Mr. Alexei Vedev, Director of the Center for Structural Studies of the Gaidar Institute), Managing Foreign Trade in a Globalized World (Moderator: Mr. Sergei Prikhodko, Executive Director of the Gaidar Institute).

Mr. Vladimir Mau and Mr. Carlos Herique de Azevedo Moreira summed up the results of the workshop.

Presentations to speeches:

Tax Policies in Brazil: Taxation on Oil, Natural Gas and Minerals (Mr. Jose Marcio Andriotti, Deputy Coordinator of Taxes on Production and Foreign Trade, Federal Revenue Secretariat);
Monitoring and Controlling Debt Levels and Public Expenditures in Brazil (Mr. Jose Franco Medeiros de Morais, Deputy Head of Public Debt Operations, National Treasury of Brazil);
Inflation, Exchange Rate and Interest Rate: How to Calibrate? (Mrs. Solange Nunes de Gouveia, Advisor of the Department of Studies and Research of the Central Bank of Brazil);
Managing Foreign Trade in a Globalized World (Mr. Andre Luis Ribeiro Barbosa, Technical Assistant at the Brazilian Chamber of Foreign Trade (CAMEX), Council of Government of the Presidency of the Republic of Brazil);
Activities of the Brazilian Foreign Trade Agency (APEX).