Everyone is asked to stand at a respectful position for the playing of the national anthem. [music] [music] [music] [song] the classic margins of a heroic people charged, resounding and the sun of freedom [music][song] fleeting rays shone in the sky of the homeland at that moment. [music] If we managed to conquer this equality with a strong arm in your bosom, oh liberty [music] defy our achievement even to death itself. Oh beloved Father, save us. [music] Brazil, an intense dream, a ray of love and hope. The earth [music] descends without the hollow sky [song] being liquid, the image of the Southern Cross shines. A giant by its very nature. You are stronger than you were, and your future awaits you on golden land, among other thousands of lands of Brazil, beloved homeland, the children of this soldier [music] Brazil. [applause] To begin, the Minister of State for Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, will take the floor. the speech. I wanted to express my gratitude and always show my appreciation for being able to serve Brazil in the government of our president, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva. I greet Ambassador Zu, Ambassador of China, a great partner of Brazil. I extend my greetings to our Minister Miram Bequó, coordinator of the government, and on her behalf I extend my greetings to all colleagues and friends who are part of the government led by President Lula. I would like to greet Pablo, president of Ibran, and extend my greetings and thanks for their collaboration on this important project that we are now delivering to Brazil, to my colleague from Minas Gerais, Zé, and to Congressman Arnaldo Jardim, two great partners in building this moment. Greetings here, Mr. President, the president of AMIG in Minas Gerais, Mayor Marco Antônio, one of the most brilliant public figures in our state. On their behalf, we acknowledge the importance of municipalism and the need to further strengthen the planning of mining municipalities so that we can leave a legacy after the minerals are extracted. and they are not renewable for municipalities in a country with more than 5400 municipalities in our Brazil. Vice-President Geraldo Alkm, who has led our industry with such mastery, is very pleased to recognize the importance of working alongside him every day, Vice-President. A great joy, President Lula. Today you are signing the birth certificate of a new era for mining in Brazil. With the approval of the bill on critical and strategic minerals, it represents a declaration of economic independence and political courage from a nation that does not bow to external threats. On September 7th, you spoke to the hearts of Brazilian men and women with the following words: "I quote, we cannot bow our heads before foreign powers that want to turn Brazil back into a colony." We will not be anyone's colony. You said that a sovereign country is one that is capable of defending its territory, its borders, its environment, its resources, and its people from any illegitimate foreign interest. Ladies and gentlemen, critical and strategic minerals are fueling a far-reaching transformation with the attraction of new technologies, investments, social impact, and repercussions in global geopolitics. These are the entities that make the energy transition possible, the high-tech industry, the defense industry, and the data centers vital to the advancement of artificial intelligence. It's also worth highlighting food security, Minister Miriam, with our potassium and phosphate, which are essential for a country that is also a food breadbasket of the planet. There 's no turning back from this point. We are very well positioned in the world rankings. First place in niobium reserves. Second in rare earth and graphite reserves, third in nickel reserves, and sixth in global lithium production. It's no coincidence that we are a giant country by nature, as our Brazilian national anthem says. and Brazilians. In this context of enormous challenges, Brazil has the most advanced legislation in the world. And I was delighted today, and I think the vice-president was too, to welcome the Australians and the largest company in southern Minas Gerais, which is Meteoric, and which made this public recognition of our legislation. Time approved. The newly enacted legislation is the regulatory translation of national sovereignty into the mining sector, bringing real positive impacts on employment, quality of life, and decent income for Brazilian women and men. The new legislation is fundamental for the present and the future of Brazil. Brazil will gain in-depth knowledge of its resources and preserve its decision-making capacity over its production chains. I would like to highlight that the geological service, Minister Mir, as already announced by our Minister Morete, the Brazilian geological service will see its resources for geological knowledge increase from R$ 8 million to R$ 300 million next year, allocated to research to understand our subsoil. The standard also contributes to neo-industrialization, Vice President, dear Márcio, an opportunity that lies not only in extraction, but especially in the capacity to install in Brazil the stages of beneficiation, separation, refining, transformation and production of advanced materials for industrial components and products. President Lula, in this context I take the opportunity to share some important news, without being able to reveal, however, what is required of companies to communicate, because they are publicly traded companies, through relevant facts. Next week we will already have concrete results, Minister Míria, concrete results from this law that you are signing today with the announcement of investments and partnerships in the refining and processing segment in Brazil. This announcement will demonstrate the wisdom of our government in lifting Brazil from the status of a mere exporter of commodities. In the case of rare earth elements, the new law changes the logic of investment in Brazil. By directing incentives towards the beneficiation, processing, and especially the separation of oxides within the national territory, we create the central link for the development of the entire chain. As Brazil achieves industrial scale in the separation process, we will create the economic and technological conditions, Mr. President, to attract the next stages. These include: metallization, alloy production, and progressively other higher value-added activities. Another dimension of great relevance concerns the demands that are knocking on our door for batteries, electrical grids, motors, renewable generation, storage, and electrification, which increasingly depend on these processed materials. Promoting competitiveness is another crucial aspect of the approved legislation. I take this opportunity to acknowledge the role of the National Congress. Our country possesses significant mineral resources and advantages known throughout the world. We have a low-carbon electricity grid. Our blue ambassador knows this well. There are so many visits and so many conversations about this: the domestic market and industrial capacity, as well as scientific and technological institutions for innovation. It is useful, and no less important, to emphasize that legislation is a robust driver for development, for expanding infrastructure, and for diversifying our economy. This legislation seeks to put an end to the old model, Mr. President, which you so often emphasize, condemning Brazil to the role of exporter of commodities and importer of materials from our refined resources. We receive back the element multiplied several times in value, losing both intellectual capital and jobs within our territory. The law creates a conditional incentive, and this was highlighted by investors who visited us in recent weeks celebrating the legislation. Creates a conditional incentive from the Ministry, for adding value within the national territory. The tax credit is proportional to the degree of processing in Brazil. We now have a solid, structured industrial policy with regulatory predictability. The country positions itself in the global market on an equal footing with traditional powers. We practice sovereignty with openness, not sovereignty with isolation. Created today, the National Council for the Industrialization of Critical and Strategic Minerals, headed by Minister Mir, will be responsible for approving sensitive corporate transactions and international agreements . This is not a barrier to foreign investment; quite the contrary, it is the practice of countries that respect and protect their people by taking care of their resources. What Brazil now has is the ability to decide the terms under which investment reaches our market. Regulatory stability, legal certainty, and predictability are fundamental to the new policy. With the creation of the ministerial guarantee fund and the incentives for debenture holders , the state is working to eliminate uncertainties for private sector investments. Brazil is now positioning itself as a supplier of climate-appropriate materials. Minister Capobia verifiable. Ladies and gentlemen, this legislation is divided into structuring operational instruments. One of them is the federal government's mineral activity guarantee fund, amounting to R$1 billion, in addition to investments from private companies that will make projects in the country viable. We have a lot to do, and we've already done a lot in these four years. Mr. President, I'll mention a few emblematic examples. You created the National Council for Mineral Policy, the CNPM, which is already fully operational. We developed the guidelines for the National Mining Plan, which Pablo knows well and closely followed, the PNM 2050, overcoming 15 years of lack of planning and delays in the sector. We developed PEL 2026205, precisely mapping 145 priority areas. to rebuild our geological knowledge. We promoted, and I want to thank Minister Sterra here, the modernization of the National Mining Agency (NM), including the largest public competition in the agency's history since its creation, plus ten billion reais from the new Mariana agreement, also for the rigorous inspection of the sector. In December 2022, it's good to remember, Mr. President, it was being shouted, and this is a public record, this is public knowledge, about an agreement for R$ 100 billion more from Mariana, from Brumadinho, which didn't exist. I remember well that you, President Lula, even while recovering from your physical accident, met with us every week. It was on Friday, here in this auditorium, that we signed the agreement for R$10 billion in resources for the recovery of the affected communities and the environmental recovery of the regions affected by that accident, which I said in my inauguration speech that we would not leave government without delivering to the people of Minas Gerais, the people of Espírito Santo, and to Brazil. Even this minister of yours, President Mineiro, was in Mariana a few days ago with 54 mayors, Marco Antônio, and announced more than R$10 million reais and released these funds together with BNDES to install air conditioning in the public schools of Core Doce. President Lula, we continue to defend 100% legal and sustainable mining. Safe, with decent work, social inclusion and global alignment. Mining must be carried out with environmental responsibility, through the reuse of its waste and with complete safety for workers and communities. Viewed as a whole, the mining sector is essential for the country, representing 3.3% of Brazil's GDP. Nearly 3 million jobs are generated throughout the value chain, and CFEM (Financial Compensation for Mineral Exploration) revenue reaches 7.4 billion. Under his leadership, President Lula, Brazil regained control of its own subsoil and the reins of our present, with a firm hand ensuring that we have a more prosperous, fairer, and above all, more inclusive country. Thank you very much. [applause] We hear the interim president of the Brazilian Mining Institute, Pablo Cesário. Your Excellency, Mr. President of the Republic, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva. Your Excellency, Mr. Vice President General. Ladies and gentlemen ministers, ladies and gentlemen parliamentarians, ladies and gentlemen, today Brazil takes a decisive step to accelerate the future of mining, for Brazil, for Brazil, and for our people to the world. The national policy on critical strategic minerals represents a fundamental instrument for unlocking historical opportunities. Mining today plays a central role in global megatrends such as the energy transition, artificial intelligence, food security, and technology. The new framework creates conditions for Brazil to strengthen its leading role in the mineral value chain . Mr. President, unlike other sectors, our industry has no limitations in terms of demand. It's not a lack of demand, it's our ability to supply it faster. Australia, Canada, Finland, all developed or developing countries, because of the mining they built, created relevant policies similar to what we are creating here at this moment and managed to export more, build more value for themselves and for everyone. The good news is that we Brazilians have a situation, a position that is absolutely unique. We have the complete periodic table in our soil , world-class reserves, and stable trade relations with the whole world. Today, the sector is already equivalent to almost 4% of GDP and more than half of the current surplus in the trade balance. And this is with only 0.052% of the national territory. For every 1 hectare affected by mining operations, we preserve at least another 10 hectares. And this policy comes at a crucial time and has already emerged from a productive dialogue, with several key players whom I would like to name here. The first of these is the president of the Parliamentary Front for Sustainable Mining, Deputy José Silva, author of the bill, and the rapporteur Arnaldo Jardim, who are the two protagonists in the Chamber of Deputies. But in the Senate, we also had the leading role of Senator Wilder de Moraes and Senator Eduardo Braga, with their technical teams, who built an open, frank, and republican dialogue, interested in the public good. I also want to draw attention here to the leadership of the executive branch, especially, first and foremost, to Minister Alexandre Silveira for his leadership of the sector as a whole. Well, he already talked about his achievements, and I could spend more than my five minutes here talking about them, but I also wanted to highlight the work of Senator Eli, Minister Elias, and Minister Biquior, and all the teams that contributed to this. All avenues maintained a structure paved by respectful listening and a clear direction of priorities. Among these, I would like to highlight the relevance of investment flows to Brazil, the leading role of research, particularly geological research, the preservation of mining rights, and the implementation of technically and economically viable traceability. Another key component will be the National Council for the Industrialization of Strategic Critical Minerals. He will bring the formulation of public policies for the country to the center of government. Another request is that we move forward because we have several concrete agendas to advance. The first thing we need to do, and here we are already thinking about the next steps, is how we strengthen ourselves, our geological knowledge, and how we strengthen environmental licensing. Good mining can only be done with proper licensing and sustainability. Currently, we only know 28% of Brazilian territory, and therefore we barely know our own riches to transform them into potential. The second axis is the integration and addition of value in the industrial chain. It is also necessary to process and industrialize locally to the greatest extent possible. The third is legal certainty and the regulatory environment. Mining requires intensive investments and production cycles that often last up to 40 years. Therefore, predictability and stability, especially fiscal stability, are essential prerequisites for attracting long-term investment. And here, I would like to point out something that Minister Alexandre Seveira has already said about the decrees that could be great steps forward for mining, the decree on caves, because it would allow us to protect our speleological heritage and, at the same time, guarantee sustainable development. These two things go together. There is also a decree on nuclear minerals, a fundamental energy source that we have enormous potential for. Finally, and no less importantly, Mr. President, I want to draw your attention to axis four, which is that of shared environmental and social value. Good mining practices already play a role in environmental conservation and local development, and can expand their potential. The future of strategically critical minerals will not be defined solely by those who hold reserves, but by those who know how to convert them into value, knowledge, and prosperity for the whole of society. Today, together, we take a new step towards making this periodic table of opportunity a concrete agenda for Brazil's future. It truly is an honor to be here today, Mr. President. Thank you very much. [applause] We are now hearing the president of the National Confederation of Industry, Ricardo Alban. Good afternoon. Good afternoon everyone. It is with great joy and happiness, truly, that we can celebrate this event. I would like to thank our president, my friend Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and on his behalf, greet everyone, but also our dear friend, Vice-President Alkm. I would also like to extend my greetings on behalf of the women present here, through our Minister Mirabel Koró and through our Minister Márcio Elias, the Minister of Industry. Finally, we're back together, huh? How nice to talk like that , right? I would like to greet, through our minister Márcio Elias, all the ministers present here. Greetings to all the deputies and parliamentarians present, on behalf of two great figures who are here today . First, I am biased and I regret to say, but I will publicly acknowledge the great loss that our National Congress will suffer, which is our representative Arnaldo Jardim, the rapporteur for the Chamber and also the author [applause] of the bill, Representative José Silva. Thank you for the opportunity to meet my friend. I also want to greet our two presidents of federations from the generations present here, Carlos Henrique from Bahia and Alex Carvalho from Pará. Pará couldn't be missing from here, could it? It should definitely be in Minas Gerais too. Finally, friends, it is very stimulating to be able to talk here about a policy implemented beyond the NIB, a policy of critical minerals, of rare earths, of how much this promises for the future, in addition to air, it has all the aspects of super technology. The vision of the national policy on critical and strategic minerals is further firm evidence of its commitment to the formulation and implementation of a consistent and lasting industrial policy . We've brought Nibia to a standstill again. We have an industrial policy and a promising future for our country, and we share a common awareness of the opportunities that are presenting themselves at this moment in history. I would like to highlight the important and immediate action of the legislative branch in prioritizing this agenda, in recognition of the efforts of Representatives Hugum Mota. as well as the nine rapporteurs of the bill, Representative Analdo Jardim and Senator Eduardo Braga, authored by Representative José Silva. Mr. President, Ministers, Members of Parliament, Business Leaders, and the press, there is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come. We share the view that the current period of intensified global energy transition, digital industry, and new technologies is marked by competition for secure supply chains of critical minerals, which has reconfigured global geopolitics. It's a time of great challenges and opportunities. Born. Minister Alexandre Silveira stated that this premise of productive linkage and integration is achieved through a strong structure of regulatory and economic incentives, inducing a productive arrangement oriented towards adding value within the national territory, for processing and industrial transformation, promoting a new dynamism in the mineral chain with legal certainty and predictability, and strengthening institutions such as the National Mining Agency. Minister Miram Belquió added that the legal framework unveils a new horizon of development in which free enterprise is essential, as are small, medium, and large entrepreneurs. Through its regulation, we will have a means of balancing and enabling ventures at different stages of the mineral chain, from research to processing, managing the instruments in a way that is appropriate to the characteristics and risks inherent in different activities and projects. The global scenario, according to Minister Luciana Santos, represents a historic opportunity for Brazil, being a key factor and stimulus in the field of research and innovation in the areas of processing and industrial applications of critical and strategic minerals. The law to promote technological development and increase productivity, as well as the qualified registration and insertion of the country into the global market, creates an institutional arrangement through a network and funding sources useful for projects such as MAG Brá at SENAI in Minas Gerais. This initiative, spearheaded by SENAI, develops the complete rare earth magnet production cycle in Brazil. This is a project that strengthens the industry, reduces external dependence, and favors the country's positioning as a global competitor in this strategic market. We can transform potential into reality, innovate and add more value, develop new zeros and lengthen supply chains, and integrate the country into global markets. In this process, we will train and qualify professionals, increase productivity, and generate more and better jobs for the rational, socially, and environmentally responsible enjoyment of national wealth and potential. President Lula, count on CENI to rationally and pragmatically foster balanced international and commercial partnerships , as well as business, technological, and financial relations, aiming to expand investments and consolidate the critical and strategic mineral supply chain in Brazil. I'll give you just one example, Mr. President, now in a way that's not properly handled. But recently we received a request from the German ambassador, our friend Ambassador Rodrigo, regarding Brazil's export of electronic scrap, which is just part of the production chain. A German company concerned about its dependence on critical minerals is interested in acquiring electronic scrap, obviously for reprocessing. We export a lot of scrap metal in general, something we should keep an eye on . This is a richness in every aspect, including social inclusion. And this scrap metal business that we're discussing with this company, one of the largest companies in Europe, is something we're going to collaborate on, we're going to work together, but we're going to streamline this production chain, adding value in Brazil. Within the SENAI system, we have developed a furnace that was created from a pilot plant for mining electronic scrap and separating materials. And that's what we intend to do, that this company comes, instead of simply buying our scrap metal, we can process it, separate it, and then either sell it or use it in Brazil. This is one example. And I'll take this opportunity to ask two questions. First, I would like to express my gratitude for the invitation for Seni to be represented on the National Council for Strategic Minerals. Our sincere thanks for the deference and respect, and we also congratulate you on the fact that the executive secretariat of this council is located within the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services (MIDC), not to the detriment of any other ministry, but if the objective is to add value, if the objective is industrialization, the secretariat could not be in a more suitable place. We congratulate you on this decision. Thank you very much, and I am certain that you can always count on Brazilian industry. [applause] At this moment, we are listening to the mining expert, Alexandre Magno Rocha da Rocha. Good afternoon. Good afternoon, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. I am extremely grateful for the invitation to be present at such a sublime and important event. Vice President Alkem, our Minister Miriam Belquó, I am very honored that I prepared a formal presentation. I'm not going to do that, no. I'm going back to being a teacher. I have been a professor for 37 years , a research professor whose students are now heads of most Brazilian companies. Actually, I'm... I'm going to say this with emotion. In reality, it all began. I'm going to talk about rare earth elements. Today everyone's talking about rare earth elements this way, rare earth elements that way. But this professor, Professor Pardal, the madman, in 2010 they asked me for a rare earth deposit. I said, I had already found the nickel, iron, and copper deposits. But rare earth. What is rare earth? Ah, rare earth. I was a teacher, I took a break from public service for 3 years, and I returned to teaching 20 hours a week to work on a project, a challenge. The Dena Capton group said, "If you find a rare earth deposit for us." I didn't know what it was. I only accept. I put together a team made up entirely of my students. This project today is Serra Verde in Goiás. I've always worked together with my students, colleagues, teachers, colleagues from... there are several colleagues I've seen here, and how am I going to find something I don't know? And that's when we got our first aerogeophysics assignment. Minister, invest in the Brazilian geological survey . I participated in seven or eight discoveries of deposits in Brazil. Four of them are listed on the stock exchange. Serra Verde is the firstborn. I remember, I was considered the best consultant in the world. I looked at them, and we have the first deposit of rare earth elements in ionic clay. He did the impossible, looked at me and said: "How many deposits do you know, professor? I only know this one and it is," I said: "Well, I know 400." I said, "Well, you're going to do the job. I 'm the boss, as they say, from here you'll take the test." And I remember that I cried a lot. It was the first terrestrial ion deposit in Brazil, which is the Serra Verde project in Minaçul, Goiás. And then it started to go very easily. I had a rare earth deposit, we researched it, I approached Vale, and Vale took notice of me. This guy's got rare earth. A valley full of copper and iron deposits. What would you like? Nquel later. Nickel. You'll want rare earth. I remember, I went to MMX with a colleague of mine, Carlos Gonzales, I got there and then, no, Alexandre, there's not much interest. I had a rare deposit, nobody wanted it, nobody knew about it. And we moved forward with that project, and that's what it is today. Folks, this is someone I've worked with on almost every project, providing consulting services and mentoring my students, and Brazil today has several such repositories. important. Meteorices, Virides, Clara were mentioned here . There's one that we started from scratch 4 years ago, it's called Rocha da Rocha. The Australians put my name on the project. It's one of the best projects in the world. But Brazil has a unique characteristic. What is the special feature? We're always talking about rare earth elements, but folks, when it comes to rare earth elements, you have to think about them in a serious way . Remember these names: dyspoio and terbium. Anyone who has both disposition and terbium, they are truly exceptional. And our Brazil has it. To generate mineral deposits with terbium desprose, you need something that Brazil has in abundance: climate. Equatorial climate, tropical climate. Here is one of the biggest warehouses in Brazil. Here's our colleague Carreira Beteoric. It is the largest rare earth project in Brazil. Virides Claus is back there . It's the Virides project, it involves Clara and the professor. In six months I'll be launching two projects, one in Minas Gerais and the other in Tocantins. Other projects in Brazil. Is that all Brazil has? No. Brazil always comments 23%. That's a fact, it comes from the United States. Brazil has more today. If everyone gets involved, Mr. President, if everyone starts taking on all the projects, Brazil is truly surpassing China today and has much, much more potential. And I'm going to highlight something that I want to emphasize again: the geological survey and something from President Dilma and President Lula, the law on transparency of information. You have no idea how important this is . For all these deposits that I found, I used public data from the Brazilian geological survey. OK? [applause] [applause] Is that emotion? I am very happy talking to Valdir and talking to Minister Alexandre. Do you have the money to study geophysics? Works. Folks, in the previous government nothing was standing still , now the government is investing. And another important thing: investing in deep geophysics. Most of the deposits were discovered to be the most superficial . OK? So I just wanted to thank you for being an advisor to the organization that defines the policies, and from the bottom of my heart, a hug to everyone. Thank you again. The professor talks too much, doesn't he? Thanks. [applause] The Minister of Finance, Dario Durigã, will now speak. First, good afternoon to everyone. I greet President Lula, Vice President Alkmin, on behalf of Ministers Estter, Luciano and Miriam. I extend my greetings to my fellow ministers. Greetings to the deputies present, on behalf of Deputy Arnaldo Jardim, the other guests on behalf of Professor Rocha da Rocha, and other attendees, other professors who participated in the meeting with President Lula. Mr. President, I would like to briefly address the financial and economic instruments needed to give concrete form to this priority that you have been urging us to pursue. And before we talk specifically about what we've been doing, it's important to remember what we're talking about. We are talking about opportunity for the future of the country. The topic of mining, to a large extent, as Pablo said, is sometimes obscured within other sectors and other opportunities that arise in the country. The topic of critical minerals and rare earth elements, strategic minerals, as Minister Alexandre brought up , presents the country with a great opportunity to improve people's lives in Brazil. And when I say that, I'm talking about better jobs, more ventures, new companies, innovation, bringing knowledge and improving the industrial process we have in the country. So, we are talking about the future to a great extent when we talk about new mining and this frontier that President Lula has firmly instructed the team to explore and promptly become a world leader in this regard. Mr. President, how do we coordinate policies? We are now establishing a framework that guarantees our sovereignty, predictability, and certain instruments, as Minister Alexandre mentioned, such as a guarantee fund to allow us to scale up projects and incentivized debentures. But yesterday, Mr. President, we concluded the fifth auction of our Ecoinvest program. Eco Invest, to introduce it to those unfamiliar with it, is a program within the Climate Fund, where we partner with Brazilian institutions and mitigate the risk with a small loan from the treasury to enable projects that the private sector, on its own, would not assume the full risk of in these production processes. And yesterday we announced a plan for the first half of the year outlining five fundamental strategic pillars for the country. And yesterday we held the auction, we brought in all the institutions that wanted to bid in what was our fifth auction. One of the items in this fifth auction, Mr. President, is critical strategic minerals, batteries, and electrification, which are all part of a single chain. We offered three requirements in this auction to all financial institutions that wanted to participate. To create an innovation fund in Brazil that respects the guidelines established by the government. Two, leverage credit starting with a small loan from the treasury, leverage up to 20 times what the treasury is providing, and allocate that funds to research, science, and technology. Minister Luciana, in Brazil, 1% of the total volume was mobilized for the sectors, and yesterday we had the results of the auction. To date, we have mobilized over R$140 billion in the Ecoinveste program. We did this at COP for the circular economy. I heard Alban here talking about the need for us to encourage the circular economy and protect the environment in Brazil. We carried out the recovery of degraded pastureland in a previous Ecoinvest auction, and now it's time to mobilize resources, both public and private, for innovative projects in rare earths and strategic critical minerals . The auction concluded yesterday . We will already have R$7 billion from the winning banks in the auction to mobilize, especially for companies committed to innovation in Brazil. I said this, I discussed this program when the teachers met with the president and the team of ministers, and the auction was concluded yesterday . We will announce the results, which banks were selected. And I extend the invitation to those watching us, to those present here, the entrepreneurs of the country who are committed to generating knowledge in Brazil and good jobs for the men and women of our country, who are being better educated in our Brazilian universities, to have this opportunity to explore a new world together with us. So, Ecoinveste closed the auction yesterday, and we 'll announce the results in the coming days, but I wanted to give you a sneak peek: it will mobilize at least another 7 billion reais just for this sector. This, along with the other items from this fifth auction and the 140 billion reais raised so far, will bring us to R$190 billion reais raised just for the industry of the future, just for what interests us, because Brazil has the potential to be at the forefront of the world. Reaching 190 billion reais by the end of the year, Mr. President, will give concrete form and coordinate these priorities. So, we get it approved in Congress, guarantee sovereignty, guarantee predictability, we have the instruments to leverage Brazil's development, and with Ecoinveste we're going to put this mechanism into practice. Thank you, Mr. President [applause] [applause] Now we hear from the Minister of State for Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Márcio Elias Rosa. My turn. Good afternoon everyone. It is a joy, an honor, a privilege to be in the company of everyone. I want to warmly greet our president Lula, President Alckmin, and all the ministers, especially our minister Miranda. I would like to greet the parliamentarians, especially our dear Arnaldo Jardim, Alban, the CNI, Pablo from Febraban, and greet everyone, and also thank and greet all those who preceded me in the speeches and statements, right? As they were talking, I noticed that it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to say anything new here, wasn't it? so that I can present something new. Our dear Alexandre Silveira was very clear and didactic in his presentation. He included everything that was most relevant, and we also had a crucial highlight from our dear Daril Durigan regarding how much we still have to innovate. Minister Luciana was just reminding me that this year, President Lula, we have secured R$86 billion so far through BNDES FINEP for innovation, for investments in innovation projects. In other words, Brazil is currently in a phase where it is preparing to become stronger and more productive every day. Today , President Lula, we are witnessing a true legislative innovation resulting from this bill authored by Congressman José, reported by our dear Arnaldo Jardim, which is absolutely disruptive and decisive for the future. It's interesting to note, and I'll just highlight a few aspects, that this national policy on critical, strategic, and rare earth minerals is absolutely connected to the other economic and social development policies conceived by President Lula. The new Brazilian industry, the PAC (Growth Acceleration Program), the National Circular Economy Strategy , even the national urban mining strategy that we launched recently, UBAN is connected to this new legal framework, which, it seems to me, prepares us much more efficiently for modernity. Yesterday we witnessed here the signing of the REDTA, the legal framework for attracting investments in data centers, the entire production chain linked to data centers and artificial intelligence, and the development of artificial intelligence as well. In other words, yesterday was also a crucial day for unveiling a future Industry 4.0. Everything that has been said here is relevant, isn't it? Those who do not master the technologies associated with the exploitation of critical, strategic, and rare earth minerals will, obviously, lack competitiveness. When we talk about clean energy, wind turbines, electric vehicles, electronics, we talk about information technology, smartphones, in the area of ​​defense, my dear Minister Múscio, radars, drones, uh, space activity, low-Earth orbit space, all of this employs more and more critical minerals, rare earths, every day. We have, President Alkmin, our great professor as well, of organic chemistry, don't we? We have 118 elements in the periodic table, right? I passed the test, 118. A vehicle in the 1960s used 15 elements from the periodic table. Today he already uses 60 elements from the periodic table, and in a few years, 70 . In other words, the world and industry will, and professors shouldn't correct me if I'm wrong, will increasingly utilize these elements that are absolutely inseparable from modernity. And there are spectacular estimates. Some say that the demand for lithium is expected to increase 40 times in the next 20 years, which is a huge concern, Capovianca, from an environmental point of view. Therefore, the legal framework also outlines and provides for socio-environmental responsibility. There are 51 articles, nine new legal instruments, all of them associated with what is essential. And it is essential for them to carry out exploration, processing, transformation, mineral processing, and urban mining. In other words, we are talking about an integrated activity and a policy that aims to transform what we already have in abundance into innovation, thus expanding our industrial competitiveness. But I also want to highlight, Mr. President, something that Pablo mentioned here. This is a very important or highly relevant industrial activity in our trade balance, and we will add value to it. Brazil has been showing increasingly positive and satisfactory results in this trade relationship. This year, President Lula, we will once again, for the fourth year in a row, break the record in the trade balance. The surplus will exceed expectations. 90 billion dollars this year. 90 billion dollars this year. To give everyone an idea, between 2019 and 2022, our surplus was around 52 billion. Between 2023 and 2025, our average surplus is 80 billion. We increased it by 54%. This year, it's worth noting, just with the European Union, after May, after the Mercosur-European Union agreement came into effect, we have already increased our trade flow by 23.5%, President Lula, which shows the wisdom of this decision that you always encourage us to maintain. Brazil has no disputes with anyone, right, Mauricio? which celebrates agreements between Mercosur and the European Union, Mercosur and Singapore, Mercosur and ETA. Brazil wants to engage with the world, and that's why we've already seen an increase in exports to at least 57 countries. Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, my great colleague, isn't he, in charge of trade and diplomatic relations, there's a 10.5% increase for Indonesia, Vietnam, India, and Europe, as I mentioned. In other words, wherever we visit, wherever you have been, Mr. President, with your presidential missions, with your business missions, our Ministry of Foreign Affairs with diplomatic missions, Brazil expands its commercial relations and now, by adding value to our mineral production, we will add even greater value to our trade flow. The decision you made to link critical minerals policy to industrial policy, and in fact, placing it within the Ministry of Industry, which was reinstated in 2023 under your leadership, signals to the private sector the certainty that the business environment will be conducive to receiving investments, technological innovation, and strengthening industrial activity, which is absolutely essential for the country's social development, all with environmental and social sustainability. Thank you all very much. Thank you very much, President Lula. [applause] At this moment, the Minister of the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic, Miriam Belquior, will take the floor. Come on, President Lula. Our, my dear President Lula, President Alckmin, my, my fellow ministers, our parliamentarians, other authorities, ladies and gentlemen, Brazil is beginning today to build the place it wants to occupy in the new world economic geography. The energy transition, digital transformation, and the technological race are reorganizing production chains and global geopolitics, as Minister Alexandre has already mentioned here . And critical and strategic minerals are at the heart of this transformation. Countries are developing strategies to secure access to these resources and, primarily, to master stages of processing, transformation, and technological production. Led by our president Lula, we have already made a choice: to use our mineral wealth as leverage to build more industry, more innovation, more technology, and more quality jobs in Brazil. Brazil will not repeat, with critical and strategic minerals, rare earths, a story we already know: extracting the wealth from our soil, exporting it with almost no added value, and then importing back technologies and manufactured products. This cannot happen to our country again. We will guarantee sovereignty and economic development for our country. And guaranteeing and ensuring sovereignty does not mean closing Brazil off from the world or from foreign investment. Far from it. We have the mineral reserves, as several people have already mentioned here. We have some money, Daril also mentioned it here, and we also have the technology, Luciana, but we don't have complete control of the process and we don't have all the money. We need partnerships. We want more investment, we want more partners, we want cooperation and technology. And technology transfer cannot be decreed, Mr. President. It is negotiated, it is built from partnerships. We want to build these partnerships based on a national development strategy. The policy, Mr. President, that you are signing today gives us the tools to build this path to sovereignty and development. Mr. President, this policy on critical minerals is so fundamental to the country that today you are signing the law approved by the National Congress in record time, well before the legal deadline. Yes, and that shows the importance your government places on this issue. We also accelerated all other necessary steps to ensure that this policy is implemented quickly. Therefore, Mr. President, I will also sign today the decree regulating the National Policy Council for Critical Minerals. Uh, uh, this council was structured, Mr. President, in order to guarantee the strategic responsibilities foreseen in the law, right? The council is a very empowered council, isn't it? This was discussed extensively in the National Congress. So, we are structuring the council so that it can actually fulfill this function and also define clear rules and the necessary agility in its decisions so that investments can occur as quickly as possible. Well, and this advice, Mr. President, will be important because this strategic challenge doesn't fit within a single policy; it doesn't fit solely within the Ministry of Mines and Energy, nor within the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, right? It encompasses various dimensions. So, mining needs to talk to industry, industry needs to talk to science and technology, Luciana, and science and technology needs to talk to people's education. All of this needs to be considered, Daril, in terms of financing, the environment, Capobianco, energy transition, regional development, and international integration. It's from our country. And that is why the council will include, in addition to all the ministries involved, which will be 13, also representation from state and municipal governments, the industrial sector, the mining sector, and academia. Furthermore, in this spirit of accelerating our processes, we will also appoint all the board members who were invited and are here with us today. We will then make this appointment so that in about 10 days we can hold the first meeting of this board. [applause] [applause] Next, we will certainly discuss the rules for partnerships that enable and accelerate these investments. This won't happen right at the beginning, but we're going to accelerate this discussion. And also measures to overcome a harmful practice of authorizing studies and mining operations that often remain stalled for years. This can no longer happen, especially with regard to critical and strategic minerals. [applause] Let's also define together the rules for accessing the funding and financing instruments that are so important for boosting this sector. Mr. President, to conclude our country's history, there have been few times when the nation has made strategic decisions to guarantee sovereignty and development. One of them was with Getúlio Vargas in the 1950s, when Petrobras was created and we told the world: "The oil is ours." Thanks to this decision, Brazil now has one of the largest oil companies in the world. Another example was during his first term, with the discovery of the Pressal, a new frontier of development and sovereignty that guaranteed our fuel autonomy. Today, Mr. President, we honor these historic decisions for the country, with the legal framework for critical minerals that presents us with a new historic opportunity. With this, we make clear our vision for the future of Brazilians, a vision very different from those of the sellouts who wanted to privatize Petrobras and who want to hand over our rare earth elements. A rare earth mine, mentioned here by Professor Rocha da Rocha, Magno Rocha da Rocha, in Goiás, has already been sold to the United States, and there are candidates who have already said they will hand over the rest. Well, we're not going to miss this opportunity, Mr. President, that the country has before it. We have a golden opportunity in our hands once again. Let's transform the wealth of our subsoil into development for the Brazilian people. Thanks. [applause] At this moment, the President of the Republic, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, is signing into law bill number 2780 of 2024, which establishes the national policy for strategic critical minerals and rare earths. This law aims to promote the sustainable research, extraction, processing, mineral transformation, and urban mining of critical and strategic minerals, as well as to foster the development of the industry, distribution, trade, and consumption of products derived from these minerals. Thanks. Now, the President of the Republic, Luís Inácio Lula da Silva, signs the decree establishing the National Council for the Industrialization of Critical and Strategic Minerals. And the Minister of the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic, Miriam Belquior, signs the decree appointing the council members. [applause] The council is a coordinating, planning, and monitoring body for national policy on critical and strategic minerals, linked to the Presidency of the Republic, with the purpose of proposing public policies and actions aimed at developing the production chains of critical and strategic minerals in the country. The following are the appointed advisors. Starting lineup: Alexandre Magno Rocha da Rocha, Eraci Lafuente, Marco Antônio Lage, Pablo Cesário, Ricardo Alban. Alternates: Fernando José Gomes Landgraf, Iara Braga, Júlio César Neri, Leone [applause] Ladies and gentlemen, the floor is yours, President of the Republic, Luís Inácio. Lula da Silva. [applause] Comrades, I present in this act of sanctioning the bill 270 2780 of 24 which establishes the national policy for critical and strategic minerals and rare earths. I want to begin by thanking Congressman Zé Silva and Arnaldo Jardim for their, I would say, wisdom in presenting a project of this magnitude in a year in which rare and critical teresas are emerging as one of the great novelties of the 20th century. So, thank you very much for your work. Thank you to Pedro Guimarães, Minister of Institutional Relations, for having, together with the National Congress, approved this law in a timely manner. I'm not going to make a speech here because I 'm very grateful for the words of all the people who spoke. There's no need to be redundant here and repeat many of the things that have been said, because so much has been said about rare earth elements and critical minerals that I don't need to repeat myself. I only wanted to read three pages here. Going back in time, it 's necessary to remember the gold rush of the 19th century. It's for capitalism in England. In the end, as the Uruguayan, the great writer Eduardo Galeano wrote, " the gold left behind holes in Brazil, palaces in Portugal, and factories in England." We will not repeat history. We are not, and we will not be. [applause] We will not repeat history. We are not and will never again be a colony of anyone . With the legislation enacted today, Brazil is proposing a new agenda for the future of mining to the world. We want to discuss with countries, mining companies, investors, and international agencies the transition to socially just, environmentally sustainable, and industrializing mining for developing countries. First and foremost, it is necessary to overcome internal adversaries. As always, the traitors of the homeland once again fell to their knees before the United States, promising to hand over our critical minerals and rare earths in their raw state, for a pittance, just as happened in the past with our iron ore. We will not allow history to repeat itself. [applause] Let Brazil's enemies understand, our sovereignty is not for sale. The riches, the wealth of Brazil, belong to only one owner: the Brazilian people. Therefore, government colleagues, businesspeople, researchers, geologists, you know, people who work in the community. If we possess the competence that history demands we possess now, we will not miss the opportunity to create yet another passport to the future for the Brazilian people, especially for those who believe in the possibility of creating a new generation of better-paid young people, young people better educated in our universities. Our universities will have to prepare for new courses in this digital world, in this world of rare earths, and in this world of energy transition. Therefore, we will have to invite universities and federal institutes to actively participate in the creation of new courses so that we don't fall behind anyone in the world in preparing to take advantage of our resources for the Brazilian people. One very important thing that is happening today is that we are telling our youth and telling our universities. Brazil respects all countries in the world, but Brazil doesn't need to owe anything to the United States, China, or any other country. We have size, we have greatness, we have an intellectual base, we have universities, and we have very clever and very intelligent people. Actually, I think Brazil probably has so many smart people like our professor from Rio Grande do Norte that we wouldn't even need artificial intelligence, given how much human intelligence Brazil has. Therefore, congratulations to the ministers, congratulations to all of you who believe that new times are dawning in Brazil. Hugs, everyone. [applause]