Regional Integration Information Center

Project BRA/00/005 -- Start Year: 2000; Approved Budget: US$ 785,672; End Year: 2003; Implementing Agent: NEX (National Execution); Executing Agent: Ministry of External Relations (MRE).

Project background and rationale: The Pluriannual Plan of the Federal Government for the years 2000-2003 has chosen regional integration as one of the main themes of Brazilian foreign policy due to its importance for the country's competitive insertion in the global economy. Regional integration, which comprises the deepening of the relations with other Mercosur Member States and the establishment of a Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), is necessary in order to attract productive investment, to create opportunities of employment and to facilitate the access to new sources of technology. This growing interdependence has led to an intensification of international activities of different actors at all levels, such as State and local governments, NGOs and private enterprises, thus requiring a greater effort of coordination by the Ministry of External Relations. As a support to this process of rationalization of the country's projection abroad, access to information of the highest quality plays a crucial role.

Project development goal: This project, based on the previous experience of Project BRA/92/032 --Foreign Economic Policy Studies, aims at strengthening the participation of the Country in international economic relations through the promotion and the divulgation of information about regional integration.

Project immediate objectives and expected outputs: A "Regional Integration Information Nucleus" has already been established in the Ministry of External Relations to collect and divulge information. This is addressed to institutions of the public and private sectors such as federal bodies and their local and foreign representations, International Organizations, Foreign Governments, Universities, NGOs, press and media Associations, Trade Unions and the Association of the entrepreneur class. Moreover, information is used to assist the Ministry of External Relations in its negotiations at international level through the elaboration of negotiation papers.

It is expected that the project will enable the creation of the following main products:

1. an electronic Database on Mercosur and FTAA;

2. a newsletters on Mercosur and FTAA;

3. a collection of basic texts on Mercosur and FTAA for distribution;

4. a statistical Summary on Mercosur;

5. the publication "One Hundred Questions about Mercosur";

6. a list of Mercosur Authorities; and

7. technical and statistical bulletins on the integration process.

Contact details:
Unidade de Apoio às Negociações de Integração Regional (UNIR)
Ministério das Relações Exteriores
Anexo I, Sala 502
Brasília-DF