The Federal bank, Caixa Econômica, and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Labor & Employment have launched a service to attend request for withdrawals from the Workers' Guarantee Fund (FGTS) for Brazilians living in Europe. The launching ceremonies take place today (May 8) in London, England and Thursday (May 10) in Paris, France.

The BNDES will support with R$ 6.5 million the conduction of a technical study to evaluate the feasibility to produce biofuels in member countries of the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa (UEMOA). Works will be conducted by the consortium of BAIN-MMSO — formed by the consultancy office of Bain Brazil LTDA; and the firm Machado, Meyer, Sendacz e Opice Advogados —, which was selected by means of Public Call performed by the BNDES in 2011.

Brazil was the main recipient of foreign direct investment (FDI, resources that go to the productive sector of the country) in Latin America and the Caribbean, in 2011, according to the report of the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), released yesterday. The report ,called Foreign Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean, shows that the country received US$ 66.7 billion, 43.8% of the total flow to the region.

In the radio program 'Coffee with the President', aired on Monday, April 30, President Rousseff highlighted investments by Federal Government in partnership with States and Municipalities to improve public transport in large Brazilian cities. R$ 32.4 billion will be invested in subways, light rail vehicles, monorail and exclusive bus lanes. According to the President, this historic investment is the first step in addressing the problem of time taken by people to move around large cities.

Since its re-democratization, Brazil has made great advances in improving mechanisms for transparency and control of public spending, which improves the quality and implementation of governmental and fiscal policies in the country. As a result of this, Brazil now occupies ninth position in a ranking of 87 nations according to an evaluation undertaken by the IBP - International Budget Partnership.  

In an effort to bring Brazil closer to Libya, the Brazilian Government decided to make donations, send experts and support the parliamentary elections within two months in the country. Brazilian experts who will work in demining (removal of landmines) should be on the way to Tripoli, capital of Libya, in the next few days. Additionally, technicians in identifying weapons will also be sent, along with donations of antiretroviral drugs for combating aids.

Brazil and the United Kingdom will support projects aimed at climate-smart agriculture and food security, under the umbrella of the Millennium Development Goals. A letter of intent for this purpose was signed yesterday in Brasilia by the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Mendes Ribeiro Filho, and the UK Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell.

On April 17th and 18th delegations from 53 countries will meet in Brasilia for the annual meeting of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), an international initiative that aims to disseminate and encourage government practices such as spending transparency, public access to information and public participation. The event will consolidate the OGP as an innovative movement for the application of tools and technologies that can help governments to resolve long-standing problems and provide tangible results for citizens.

The consolidated public sector primary surplus reached R$ 9.5 billion in February, the best result for the month since the beginning of the series, in 2001. The Central Government recorded a surplus of R$ 5.3 billion; regional Governments, R$ 5.1 billion surplus; and state owned companies, R$ 872 million deficit. In the year, the surplus reached R$ 35.5 billion (5.38% of GDP), 1.35 p.p. of GDP higher than the one registered in the same period in 2011. As for the surplus earned in 12 months, it reached R$ 138.6 billion (3.33% of GDP).

The Industry Confidence Index increased 0.5% in March this year, in relation to the previous month. According to Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV), the index went from 102.5 points in February to 103 points in March. It is the fourth consecutive increase, featuring the evaluation from businessmen of the industry in relation to the sector.

During a meeting with American and Brazilian investors yesterday, in New York, the Minister of Planning, Budget and Management (MPOG), Miriam Belchior, affirmed that Brazilian economy should perform growth increase in 2012, compared to last year, diverging from the global slowdown. The Minister explained to business people, American and Brazilian investors, representatives of diplomatic body and journalists, that Brazil took the fourth position in the global flow of foreign investments, reaching a historic record of US$ 66.7 billion.