Greater access to information contributes to advances in improving the business environment in Brazil. This was one of the highlights of the event held on June 6, at Firjan.

Free access to information between society and the government, whether in the tax, legal or any other sphere, is essential to ensure a more stable and equitable business environment and to enable better understanding between government, companies and society generally. This was one of the main conclusions of the first stage of the 10 + 10 Debate Cycle - Retrospective of competitive ethics in Brazil and perspectives for the next decade, carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Competitive Ethics - ETCO in the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro ( Firjan).

Throughout the morning, the advances already made and the paths that still need to be followed in the direction of best practices in competitive ethics were discussed.

For the Executive President of ETCO, Roberto Abdenur, the event proved to be of great use in revealing important progress achieved in the last decade to improve the business environment in Brazil and also to provide “ETCO, the private sector and government authorities better perception of what still needs to be done in terms of more transparency in the relationship between authorities and society, in order to reinforce the concept of fiscal citizenship in Brazil ”.

The event was opened by Carlos Mariani Bittencourt, Vice President of Firjan, who guaranteed the commitment of the Rio de Janeiro industry in the fight for competitive ethics. "Sustainability is also doing business based on ethics," he said.

The director of Instituto Análise, Alberto Carlos Almeida, highlighted the important relationship between the increase in the population's schooling and the growth of intolerance towards corruption. “Society started to be more rigorous in relation to corruption. Schooling is forcing everyone to break the rules, ”he said.

The coordinator of the Specialization Course in Tax Law at the Getulio Vargas Foundation, professor Eurico Marcos Diniz De Santi, said that he considered it necessary that the authorities, particularly in the tax field, provide citizens and companies with better knowledge and understanding of the acts practiced in the application of the laws. He stated that "societies that encourage secrecy favor the proliferation of privileges and corruption".

The Secretary of Finance of the State of Rio de Janeiro, Renato Villela, added that the provision of information between the Government and society is fundamental for a truly democratic State. He noted the advances made in this regard by Rio de Janeiro in recent years, "within the commitment of the State to guarantee a healthy business environment".

The Regional Prosecutor of the Republic Marcelo Moscogliato pointed out the relevance for the economy of greater speed in the judicial processes, and indicated the need for a closer approximation between the Law and the Economy. He stated that “Law courses in Brazil should provide better knowledge of the practical reality of business in multiple fields, so that lawyers develop greater knowledge and sensitivity to the realities of economic life”.

The next stage of the 10 + 10 Debate Cycle will take place in Brasília, on August 21, at the headquarters of the National Confederation of Industry (CNI). On October 16, the Debate Cycle 10 + 10 arrives in São Paulo, at the headquarters of Fiesp (Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo).