At the deadline, Lula maintains suspense over environmental licensing vetoes
On Friday, the 8th, the deadline, President Lula (Workers' Party) has yet to announce whether he will veto the bill that relaxes environmental licensing in Brazil. The proposal, approved by Congress in July after more than two decades of processing, provides for new licensing modalities and exemptions from authorizations for certain types of projects and activities. Environmentalists call the bill the " Devastation Bill ," while advocates point out that it could reduce bureaucracy and accelerate investment.
In recent days, the president has met with ministers and advisors to discuss the most sensitive points. On the one hand, the Ministry of the Environment, led by Marina Silva , advocates for broad cuts to the text to preserve control and oversight instruments. On the other, Rui Costa 's Chief of Staff believes the changes could unlock strategic projects, potentially generating jobs and political gains.
Among the most controversial items are the creation of the Adhesion and Commitment License, which would allow self-declaration of low- and medium-impact projects, and the Special Environmental License, which would unify the licensing stages to accelerate projects considered priority. The text also exempts extensive livestock farming and road expansion from the need for licensing, in addition to reducing the scope of the Atlantic Forest Law and mining regulations.
Despite lengthy meetings at the Planalto Palace, there was no consensus on the final text to be signed into law. Lula's aides believe that, even with vetoes, there is a high probability that Congress will reverse the presidential changes, as the bill received significant support in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate.
A press conference scheduled for late Friday morning should shed light on the mystery. Minister Marina Silva and Sidônio Palmeira, responsible for government communications, will participate in the announcement. Members of the Secretariat of Institutional Relations and the Chief of Staff's Office have also been assigned to the mission. Lula has official commitments in Acre and Rondônia this Friday and will therefore not be present.
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After difficult years , we've returned to a Brazil that feels at least a little bit normal. This new normal, however, remains fraught with uncertainty . The Bolsonaro threat persists, and the appetites of the market and Congress continue to pressure the government. Abroad, the global rise of the far right and the brutality in Gaza and Ukraine risk imploding the fragile foundations of global governance.
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