The governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans), stated that he considers it feasible to sell Sabesp by the end of 2024. And the model, in his view, should be similar to that of Eletrobras, more fragmented, to the detriment of the one used by government of Rio de Janeiro to privatize Cedae.
Tarcísio participates this week in the World Economic Forum, in Davos (Switzerland).
According to the governor, studies for privatization will be started now, and the money collected should be kept in the sector itself for investments and expansion of coverage. “Basic sanitation is the hottest thing, the countries, the funds, are very interested in investing in Brazil.”
He downplayed any changes in the legal framework for sanitation during the Lula government. “We still have an enormous challenge of universalizing service provision, with a consumer market and revenue guaranteed by law”, he said, justifying the continuity of the framework that allowed unlocking concessions in the sector.
The governor claims to see great interest from investors in Brazil, and has used his participation in the event to present the state’s investment program, including concessions and privatizations.
Tarcísio also said he was studying the creation of a financial bond – a “green bond”— issued by the state and whose collection would be used in environmental recovery and protection. The topic was raised in a meeting with the president of the IDB (Inter-American Development Bank), the Brazilian Ilan Goldfajn, who also met with ministers Fernando Haddad (Finance) and minister Marina Silva (Environment).
So far, the governor has no commitments organized by the forum, but the bilateral agenda approaches 35 commitments in five days.
Tarcísio also met with the director general of the WTO (World Trade Organization), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to talk about possible protection barriers against products exported by the state, especially to Europe, where the environmental issue has been invoked to stop imports.
On Thursday, the governor will meet with the former vice president of the United States and environmental activist Al Gore, who in 2020 ended up reacting to a statement by the then Minister of Economy, Paulo Guedes, who justified deforestation.
Guedes was Tarcísio’s colleague in the ministry of Jair Bolsonaro (PL), a government that ended up marked by disdain for environmental preservation.
Asked about the change in treatment with the new government, Tarcísio replied that “he has always raised the issue of sustainability with the Ministry of Infrastructure and now with the government of São Paulo.”
“There is a very important reason: financial flows will be increasingly linked to environmental standards, so there is no point in thinking that you will raise funds abroad without showing your concern for sustainability and without showing that your project is well structured in relation to climate change. “, said.
Amidst the neo-environmentalist discourse, the governor also praised the Lula government for its “openness to dialogue”, and claimed to maintain a good, “republican” relationship with the current federal administration.
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