Jul 22, 1986

BRAZIL-U.S. TALKS ON INFORMATICS.

RIO DE JANEIRO, JULY (IBIPRESS) –Talks took place in Paris between Brazil and the U.S.A. on the opposition of the latter to the laws by means of which Brazil is favouring the development of its informatics industry. This legislation imposes certain restrictions on the imports of micro-informatics products of which Brazil is already an important producer. The U.S. is threatening reprisal action against imports of Brazilian products, especially shoes and clothing.

The Brazilian informatics market has grown form annual sales in 1978 of ususd 200 million (musd) to the present 2.300 musd. The part of such sales originating in the U.S.A. went in the same period from 95 to the total of 50 in 1985.

The conflict involves an area that goes beyond the mere informatics industry. The same 1984 law, intended to protect the informatics market, also establishes strict control over all imports of foreign technology. In addition, Brazil is engaged in another dispute with the U.S. in view of its disagreement with the claim that GATT (General Agreement on Trade Tariffs) not only favours free trade in goods, but that it also has influence on deregulation and opening of domestic markets in the services sector. Brazil’s payment of its exterior debt require that country to continue its economic growth without fear of possible embargoes or cuts in exports. Finally, as the solidarity of the permanent Secretariat of the Conference of Latin American Informatics Authorities (CALAI) had demonstrated, the conflict also has a Latin American dimension.

In the press release on this subject, CALAI said that "the affirmation of the Brazilian government’s right to set its own informatics policy is a responsibility that goes beyond its borders. The countries of the region, their growth possibilities limited by the weight of their foreign debt, are seeking various ways to take advantage of the resources they are generating to benefit the development and well being of their peoples. In this regard, the exercise of the full right to decide by all and each of them is a common task that does not admit the imposition of any conditions that detract form them".

This Latin American dimension will also become reinforced due to the incidence the agreement signed by Brazil and Argentina could have on the conflict. This agreement’s purpose is to cause customs barriers for the industrial products of both countries to disappear within a two-year period. The aspiration of the two countries with regard to this first bilateral agreement is the creation of a Latin American common market representing a new economic space, capable of measuring itself with other existing regional markets.

The most distant origin of Brazil’s present informatics policy harks back to 1973, when the first control on imports intended for the public sector was established. Five years ago the Special Secretariat for Informatics (SEI) formulated a complete hardware, software, components and communications policy. Computers are considered divided into six categories, the first four of which (microcomputers, minicomputers, small systems and superminis and medium-sized systems) are reserved to hardware manufacturers with 100 Brazilian capital.