A decree published on Wednesday (21) in the Federal Official Gazette (DOU) took another step in the government’s strategy to review regulation in the country. But the context of the new measure has raised fears that the changes could pave the way for interference in the autonomy of regulatory agencies.
The decree established the so-called “Better Regulation Strategy”, with the argument of spreading good practices within Pro-Reg (Program to Strengthen Institutional Capacity for Management in Regulation), established by another decree in October 2023. Under the proposal, a management committee will be responsible for implementing the changes in various areas of the government, not just the agencies.
The text was signed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin on Tuesday (20), the same day that the Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, questioned the slowness of Aneel, the electricity sector agency.
Silveira sent a letter to Aneel’s director general, Sandoval Feitosa, with a tone that was considered incisive by the standards of this type of correspondence. He threatened to intervene in the agency if the board doesn’t finish analyzing demands that are considered important for the portfolio.
Feitosa told Folha‘s Painel S.A. that the agency is not an arm of the government and that the processes are guided by the directors, who are independent.
