Council says it is in talks with the state-owned company to change the rules of the agreement signed in 2019 that established the sale of assets.| Photo: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil

The president of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense (Cade), Alexandre Cordeiro, said this Thursday (6/1) that he is in talks with Petrobras to review the agreement reached in 2019 that provided for the sale of refineries and other assets for “abuse of dominant position in the refining market”.

The change of position comes shortly after the state-owned company announced that it will not make new sales of refineries and intends to increase the production of oil derivatives. Cordeiro said that the revision of the agreement will also take into account the new fuel price policy announced by Petrobras two weeks ago.

“The market is dynamic. We know that the guidelines also change from an economic point of view and due to the political reorganization of the country. Cade is prepared for this. We have already talked with Petrobras. Cade is together with Petrobras and these conversations continue. Not just now, but always. It is always possible (review the clauses). Every contract can be revised”, he said in a record for the newspaper O Globo.

Cordeiro also said that the change in the agreement will be made in partnership with the Ministry of Mines and Energy, the Public Ministry and the market, taking into account the amount of information provided by the state-owned company. Cade’s president, however, said that “changes and political guidelines are important for decision-making by any public institution, always preserving the independence of agencies and the autarchy”.