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UK–Brazil Relations House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee UK–Brazil Relations Ninth Report of Session 2010–12 Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 11 October 2011 HC 949 Published on 18 October 2011 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £15.50 The Foreign Affairs Committee The Foreign Affairs Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its associated agencies. Current membership Richard Ottaway (Conservative, Croydon South) (Chair) Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth (Labour, Coventry North East) Mr John Baron (Conservative, Basildon and Billericay) Rt Hon Sir Menzies Campbell (Liberal Democrats, North East Fife) Rt Hon Ann Clwyd (Labour, Cynon Valley) Mike Gapes (Labour, Ilford South) Andrew Rosindell (Conservative, Romford) Mr Frank Roy (Labour, Motherwell and Wishaw) Rt Hon Sir John Stanley (Conservative, Tonbridge and Malling) Rory Stewart (Conservative, Penrith and The Border) Mr Dave Watts (Labour, St Helens North) The following Member was also a member of the Committee during the parliament: Emma Reynolds (Labour, Wolverhampton North East) Powers The Committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the Internet via www.parliament.uk. Publication The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including news items) are on the internet at www.parliament.uk/facom. A list of Reports of the Committee in the present Parliament is at the front of this volume. The Reports of the Committee, the formal minutes relating to that report, oral evidence taken and some or all written evidence are available in a printed volume. Additional written evidence may be published on the internet only. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Mr Kenneth Fox (Clerk), Mr Eliot Barrass (Second Clerk), Dr Brigid Fowler (Committee Specialist), Ms Zoe Oliver-Watts (Committee Specialist), Mr Richard Dawson (Senior Committee Assistant), Jacqueline Cooksey (Committee Assistant), Mrs Catherine Close (Committee Assistant) and Mr Alex Paterson (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Foreign Affairs Committee, House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 6394; the Committee’s email address is [email protected] UK-Brazil Relations 1 Contents Report Page Summary 3 Conclusions and recommendations 5 1 Introduction 9 2 Government policy towards Brazil 11 Why is the FCO promoting a stronger bilateral relationship? 11 What is the nature of the relationship and how is it being strengthened? 13 Practical measures which the FCO could take 17 3 Brazil as a global power 22 Reform of the United Nations Security Council 23 4 The Falkland Islands 29 5 Commercial relations between the UK and Brazil 31 Barriers to trade 34 EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement 35 The energy sector 36 6 Security and criminality 40 Human rights concerns 41 7 Environmental concerns 45 8 Conclusion 48 Formal Minutes 49 Witnesses 50 List of printed written evidence 50 List of unprinted evidence 51 UK-Brazil Relations 3 Summary The Government is correct to pursue a stronger bilateral relationship with Brazil. The growing political and economic importance of Brazil represents an opportunity for the UK, not a threat, and Brazil’s increasing economic power and political influence is very much a “good news” story for the UK and the wider world. Brazil is a democratic, well-governed, responsible state, unthreatening to its neighbours and with much to contribute to the international community. The Government’s work so far is welcome but should only be the beginning of what should be a long-term effort. The FCO should maintain its focus on Brazil despite recent world events. The UK’s explicit support for Brazil’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council, as part of wider UN reform, is to be welcomed. Brazil has a potentially valuable role to play on the global stage, drawing upon the prestige and legitimacy conferred by its rising economy, its commitment to democracy, and its status and experience as a member of the developing “South”. We welcome the recent development of Brazilian foreign policy under President Dilma Rousseff, particularly with regards to the promotion of human rights in other countries. We regret that the Brazilian government has recently adopted a less helpful attitude with regard to the Falkland Islands, as evidenced by the recent refusal by the Brazilian authorities to allow the Royal Navy vessel, HMS Clyde, to dock in Rio de Janeiro. The FCO have yet to provide us with precise details as to why the Clyde was turned away. We recommend that they do so. The Government is right to target the commercial opportunities that a stronger trading relationship with Brazil will bring. While measures have been put in place to increase trade, the target of doubling trade by 2015 is somewhat arbitrary. UKTI should continue to highlight the opportunity that Brazil brings to UK firms, particularly in the energy sector, and educate UK firms wishing to trade with Brazil on the difficulties inherent in the market. The FCO should continue to push for the completion of negotiations on the proposed EU-Mercosur Free-Trade Agreement. Brazil is playing an increasingly important and leading role in regional anti-drug efforts. The UK should continue to provide support in this area and more resources for SOCA’s work in Brazil. We note with concern that a gap remains between some of Brazil’s international commitments to human rights and their implementation. UK Ministers should continue to raise this issue during their bilateral visits. We welcome Brazil’s leadership role on international solutions to tackle climate change and the work of the FCO in promoting and supporting this position. We look forward to continuing close co-operation between the UK and Brazil on climate change, and hope that this forms the basis for a long-term relationship based on shared values. UK-Brazil Relations 5 Conclusions and recommendations 1. We welcome the Government’s public commitment to a stronger bilateral relationship with Brazil. The growing political and economic importance of Brazil represents an opportunity for the UK, not a threat. We conclude that the Government is correct to identify the opportunities that Brazil’s rise brings. We recommend that it continue to invest effort in revitalising the UK’s relations with Brazil, notwithstanding any temptation to redeploy resources to other parts of the world, such as the Middle East and North Africa, where momentous events have been occurring. (Paragraph 14) 2. We conclude that the efforts made by the Government to strengthen the UK’s bilateral relationship with Brazil are welcome. We note that the forthcoming London Olympic and Paralympic Games will be invaluable in bringing the UK and Brazil closer together. We further conclude that while the Government’s efforts are to be welcomed, they should be only the beginning. We recommend that the Government view its aspiration to enhance the UK-Brazil relationship as one requiring a long- term commitment to maintain the recent momentum. We will continue to monitor developments in the bilateral relationship throughout this Parliament. (Paragraph 27) 3. A double taxation agreement between the UK and Brazil would not alter the commercial relationship between the two countries overnight, but it would be of practical assistance to UK companies trading in Brazil and be an important symbolic step in highlighting the importance that the UK Government is placing on the improved trade links. We recommend that the Government continue to lobby hard on this issue during upcoming Ministerial visits and at the annual UK-Brazil Joint Economic and Trade Committee meeting. (Paragraph 32) 4. We conclude that the Government’s proposed changes to student visa entry requirements may make it more difficult for Brazilian students to study in the UK, at the very time when the Brazilian government is proposing to increase the number of Brazilians studying aboard. We recommend that the FCO explore with the Home Office what steps can be taken to ensure that the new visa regime does not prevent suitably qualified bona fide Brazilian students from entering the UK to study. We further recommend that, in its response to this Report, the FCO inform us of the outcome of these discussions. (Paragraph 39) 5. Given the importance that Brazil is placing on a successful outcome to the forthcoming Rio+20 Conference, we conclude that the conference represents a golden opportunity for the UK to show its commitment to a stronger bilateral relationship. We recommend that British Ministers, diplomats and officials should liaise closely with their Brazilian counterparts during the run-up to Rio+20, not only to maximise the chances of a successful outcome to the conference but, as an ancillary benefit, further to enhance UK-Brazil relations. We welcome the work of our colleagues on the Environmental Audit Committee in this area. (Paragraph 42) 6 UK-Brazil Relations 6. We conclude that the UK’s explicit support for Brazil’s permanent membership of the UN Security Council, as part of wider UN reform, is to be welcomed. We believe that Brazil has a potentially valuable role to play on the global stage, drawing upon the prestige and legitimacy conferred by its rising economy, its commitment to democracy, and its status and experience as a member of the developing “South”. We recommend that the Government should continue to seek to act in close partnership with Brazil at the UN and in other international fora, and should encourage Brazil increasingly to take on the responsibilities associated with being a major global power.
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