Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco (PSD-MG) said this Thursday (12) that the current moment “is very bad” for the privatization of Petrobras and that this will not be a quick measure to implement. The Minas Gerais senator questioned whether the privatization of the company would be the solution, even in the medium and long term, for the reduction or stabilization of fuel prices.
The statements come a day after the new minister of Mines and Energy, Adolfo Sachsida, stated that he will ask for the beginning of studies for the privatization of the company. Sachsida said this would be part of his “first act” in the portfolio, after it was announced on Wednesday.
Pacheco participated this Thursday morning in a meeting with state finance secretaries precisely to discuss the fuel tax issue. After the meeting, he was questioned by journalists about the new Minister of Mines and Energy’s plan to privatize Petrobras.
The Senate president repeated that he thinks it is important to carry out studies and improve the current model of Petrobras. However, he said this is “not on the radar” these days.
“But I do not consider that privatization of the company is on the radar or on the discussion table at this moment because the moment is very bad for that”, said Pacheco.
“We have difficulty in valuing assets, we are going through a difficult time in Brazil to contain problems and a need for stability, so this is a measure that can be studied as much as necessary, but it is not a quick measure of be taken, it will require a lot of dialogue, participation of civil society because Petrobras is a national asset”, he added.
Subsequently, the president of the Senate was asked about the view of the federal government that it considered the privatization of Petrobras as a mechanism to solve problems involving fuel prices in Brazil.
Pacheco then replied that it is certainly not a short-term solution and that it may not even be a medium- and long-term one.
“That [privatização da Petrobras] is definitely not a short-term solution, just as it is not a short-term solution to PEC 110 [reforma tributária]. PEC 110 is a medium and long term solution. This Eletrobras privatization solution [quis dizer Petrobras]in fact, it is not understood whether this is a medium or long-term solution”, said the senator.
“Then studies can be carried out, it is the role of the minister to carry out all the necessary studies, which are as well done as possible. But between the study and the reality of the realization of this there is a very long distance and from which the National Congress is not will go away,” he added.
Last Monday (9), Petrobras announced a new adjustment in the price of diesel. The average price of fuel increased by 8.87% at refineries, from R$4.51 to R$4.91 per liter. The transfer to consumers depends on commercial policies of distributors and gas stations.
The price of fuel has become one of the main topics on the federal government’s agenda, which has been suffering wear and tear on account of rising prices.
The President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro (PL), decided to point the finger at Petrobras, criticizing the company’s profits and distribution of dividends to its shareholders. Bolsonaro even said that the company’s profit was a “rape”.
Driven by the rise in oil prices after the start of the Ukrainian War, Petrobras closed the first quarter of 2022 with a profit of R$ 44.5 billion.
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