Bolsonaro Backs Off and Avoids Criminalizing Countries for Illegal Purchase of Wood

In live, the president started to focus on companies, instead of nations

Brasília

President Jair Bolsonaro (without a party) backed down on Thursday (19) in his promise to reveal the names of countries that import timber illegally extracted from Brazil, avoided criminalizing nations, and blamed companies that import the material.

On Wednesday (18), Bolsonaro told supporters in front of the Palácio da Alvorada that he would give this Thursday, during his weekly live, the list of countries that import illegal wood.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro gestures during the National Flag Day celebration at Planalto Palace in Brasilia, on November 19, 2020. (Photo by EVARISTO SA / AFP) - AFP

On Tuesday (17), the day before, at a meeting of the BRICS summit, the president complained of "unjustifiable attacks" on the government's environmental policy and threatened to make public the countries that receive clandestine cargo.

During the live, the president spoke generically about countries that receive Brazilian products and cited France when referring to the country as the "main obstacle" to realizing the Mercosur and European Union trade agreement.

"If you take an amount of ipe, for example, between several countries, that amount is much higher than what is allowed to be extracted in a legal reserve, management area. Augusto [Nunes] directly asked [the question about] France because France is a competitor of ours in commodities, " said the president.

Translated by Kiratiana Freelon

Read the article in the original language