2014-12-15
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On 11 November, the Ministry of Environment (MMA) held a seminar in Brasilia to report on the action Sector Dialogues on Biocide Control and Regulation. The action was selected by the 7th call for participation of the EU - Brazil Sector Dialogues Support Facility, which is coordinated by the Ministry of Planning, Budget and Management (MPOG) and the European Union Delegation in Brazil (Delbra).
The action promoted an exchange between Brazil and European agencies specialised in the regulation of pesticides and biocides. Brazilian technicians travelled to Europe to see how regulatory initiatives were implemented while European specialists came to Brazil to learn about the country’s experience. Studies were conducted to survey the legal framework, public policies and instruments adopted by the European Union and Member States for pesticide and biocide management, which could serve as a reference to improve the instruments used in Brazil.
Opening the seminar, the director of the Ministry of the Environment’s Department of Environmental Quality in Industry, Ms Leticia Reis de Carvalho, highlighted the importance of Brazil-EU bilateral cooperation and the Sector Dialogues Support Facility. "This project provides a dialogue between the different sectors at the national level, and also with partners in the European Union. We sought to identify the dilemmas and solutions that we have found here in Brazil on our chemical management agenda and exchange experiences with the EU," she said.
Ms Carvalho pointed out that this is the fourth action of the MMA’s chemical safety agenda that has received backing from the EU-Brazil Sector Dialogues Facility. She mentioned that actions focusing on mapping the risk of accidents with chemicals, on planning in environmental emergencies and on the regulation of industrial chemicals had been conducted.
Delbra’s advisor, Mr Pedro Santos, highlighted the strategic importance of the joint initiative. "The goal of the project is to enhance the strategic partnership and bilateral relations between Brazil and the EU countries, by means of exchanging expertise, among others," he said. On the topic of the seminar, he assessed that this is an area with great impact on economic activity and the environment, and hence of strategic importance to Brazil and the EU.
The MPOG’s director of Institutional Development and Performance, Mr Alexandre Kalil Pires, addressed the dynamics of the Sector Dialogues Support Facility, whose actions are organised into theme-based areas for which calls for participation are made so the interested parties may submit project proposals. He recalled that the MMA has had actions supported by the project since 2010. He also said that the 2014 call totaled 50 actions, six of which were presented by the MMA and IBAMA. "The project sponsors the technical visits of Brazilians to Europe and of Europeans to Brazil, among other activities. This process helps foster a desirable environment in relations between countries," he said.
Programme
The seminar was attended by representatives of the MMA, IBAMA, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA) and also EU consultants hired by the Sector Dialogues Support Facility.
The first presentation by the MMA and IBAMA, addressed the topic "Chemical Safety Management and Planning in Brazil." Next, the focus was on the action "Control and Regulation of Pesticides and Biocides," when representatives of the above bodies summed up the technical mission to the European Union’s institutions and regulatory agencies responsible for the control of these substances. Another key theme was "Pesticide regulation in Brazil: perceptions and challenges," presented by representatives from IBAMA, ANVISA and MAPA.
In the afternoon, consultant Josephine Armstrong reported on the models of pesticide and biocide management and control used in the European Union. Consultant Hassan Sohn talked about the model of obsolete pesticide and biocide management employed in the State of Paraná, Brazil, and on training programmes for pesticide applicators in Brazil. The work of these two consultants was funded by the EU-Brazil Sector Dialogues Support Facility.
The event also featured a Q&A session and a debate that was open to the floor to further discuss actions and strategies to advance the improvement of pesticide and biocide control and regulation mechanisms that are appropriate to the Brazilian context.
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