Brazilian Embassy in Oslo Trade Sector September 2010 NEWSLETTER Year 4 No. 4 BRAZIL NORWAY Brazilian Exports to the Nordic Countries (Million US$ FOB) Year Norway Sweden Finland Denmark Iceland 2007 650,6 634,4 525,0 279,5 1,7 2008 865,0 624,6 441,4 320,3 12,8 2009 611,6 312,8 299,7 257,8 132,4 Jan-Aug/10 455,2 216,3 288,9 205,7 164,3 Oil & Energy Minister visits Brazil. Minister Terje Riis-Johansen visited Brazil (13– 17 September) to meet with Mines and Energy Minister Marcio Zimmerman and open the Norwegian pavilion at the Rio Oil&Gas Conference and Fair, with the participation of a large Norwegian business delegation. Minister Riis-Johansen had launched on 21 June, with Ministers Jonas Gahr Støre, Trond Giske and Erik Solheim, the process for the Brazilian Strategy of the Norwegian government. In the Seminar ´Invest in Brazil´, organized by the Brazilian Agency for Export Promotion (APEX), INTSOK and Innovation Norway, he expressed his interest and that of the offshore and maritime industry in further and stronger cooperation with Brazil. Minister Riis-Johansen also visited Umoe BioEnergy’s ethanol production facilities in the State of São Paulo. Rio Oil&Gas and ONS-Stavanger are now partners . ONS-Stavanger and the Brazilian Oil Institute (IBP), responsible for the organization of Rio Oil&Gas, signed a 5- year cooperation agreement that will promote the exchange of know-how and information between two of the leading meeting places of the oil industry in the world. ONS and IBP will be able to expand their networks and develop common initiatives to the benefit of the Brazilian and Norwegian oil-related sectors. Petrobras´ record share offering. Norwegian media dedicated significant coverage to Petrobras share offering carried out in September. The circa US$ 70 billion operation, celebrated as “the biggest share issue in corporate history”, was followed with interest by the Norwegian offshore sector and associations of the maritime and petroleum industries. The offering not strengthens Petrobras position in the implementation of the company´s Strategic Plan 2009-2013 which includes the financial and technological challenges of exploring Brazil´s offshore pre-salt reserves. Norwegian Strategy on Brazil . A delegation led by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will visit Brazil from 4 to 8 October as part of the preparation of the Norwegian Government´s Strategy on Brazil. The mission will hold meetings in Brasilia in the Ministries of External Relations (MRE), of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC) and Social Development (MDS) as well as institutions such as EMPRAPA, the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation. In Rio, the delegation will meet members of the oil an gas industry as well as representatives from the National Bank for Social and Economic Development (BNDES). While visiting São Paulo, the Norwegian delegation will be received by FIESP (Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo) and by INPE (Institute for Space Research). 1 Norwegian Shipowners’ Association to Brazil. The Norwegian Shipowners’ Association announced plans to lead a delegation to Brazil in November with the purpose of meeting Norwegian-owned and Brazilian companies and gather information on future investments and partnerships. The NSA confirmed the growing interest of the Norwegian shipping sector in relation to Brazil, as more than 50% of its members now have a presence or dealings with the country. Brazilian Minister of the Environment in Norway. On 6 - 7 September, Minister of the Environment Izabella Teixeira visited Oslo, where she held a bilateral meeting with Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim to address themes concerning Brazilian-Norwegian cooperation in the Amazon, preparations for the Climate Conference in Cancún, reduction of deforestation, biodiversity and plans for the Rio+20 Conference. In addition, both ministers discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation in the area of prevention, monitoring and response in the event of oil spills in the sea, through the exchange of knowledge and information obtained by Brazilian and Norwegian satellites. Bilateral Chambers of Commerce think the Brazil Strategy. On 15 September, during Rio Oil&Gas, the two sister chambers of commerce BNCC (Oslo) and NBCC (Rio) held a workshop on the preparation of the Norwegian Government’s Strategy for Brazil. The chambers discussed the topics of importance that the business community wish to promote in the strategy document. Ernesto Neto Exhibition in the Astrup Fearnley Museum. Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre opened on 7 September the exhibition “Intimacy”, by Brazilian artist Ernesto Neto, in the Astrup Fearnley Museum of Modern Art. In his speech, Minister Støre mentioned that the Government of Norway had launched the process for the Strategy on Brazil with a view to further strengthening the relations between the two countries. “In this context”, said the Minister, “the exhibition of the works of an artist like Ernesto Neto coincides with the beginning of this cooperative efforts”. The exhibition is Neto's first retrospective presentation and will show 14 works from over the last 10 years. It will be on display until 2 January 2011. Brazilian film in Gala Event at the Opera . The Films from the South Festival ( Film fra Sør ) chose the Brazilian movie Limite by Mario Peixoto (1931) to be screened in its Gala Event at the Oslo Opera House, on 10 October. The work is considered a masterpiece and will be shown with new musical pieces composed and performed by the pianist Bugge Wesseltoft and the Brazilian group of Naná Vasconcelos (percussion), Marlui Miranda (vocal) and Rodolfo Stroeter (bass). The event is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norwegian Ministry of Culture, Oslo Municipality, the Norwegian Film Institute and also the Brazilian Embassy. The restoration of the film was done by Walter Salles and funded by the World Cinema Foundation, chaired by director Martin Scorsese. ´Brazil Day´ at ONS in Stavanger . On 26 August, the ONS Oil&Gas Fair held the first ever "Brazil Day" with a conference dedicated to opportunities of investment in Brazil. The country was represented by the Brazilian Ambassador to Norway and a business delegation of 25 companies and institutions. PETROBRAS, APEX, BNDES (National Development Bank), CNI (Confederation of Brazilian Industry), PROMINP (Supply Chain for the Oil&Gas Industry), SEBRAE (Small and Medium Enterprises) and the Government of State of Espírito Santo. CENPES (Petrobras) signed in Stavanger a cooperation agreement with SINTEF and in Oslo with Innovation Norway in the presence of Minister Trond Giske and Ambassador Moreira Lima. 2 .