Senate approves MP that created Ministry of Entrepreneurship, the 38th portfolio of the Lula government

The Senate approved this Wednesday (20) Provisional Measure 1187/23, which creates the Ministry of Entrepreneurship, Microenterprise and Small Businesses. The ministry is the 38th of the Lula government and was created by splitting the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC). The vote was symbolic. The text goes to presidential sanction.

França commanded the Ministry of Ports and Airports and was replaced by deputy Silvio Costa Filho (Republicanos-PE), as part of the government’s efforts to expand the center’s support in Congress. After being published in the Official Gazette of the Union (DOU), the MP has the force of law, but must be approved by the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate within 120 days to, in fact, become law. The Chamber approved the provisional measure on the 14th.

The new department took over functions from the MDIC, such as management of micro-enterprises, small businesses, micro-entrepreneurs and public business registration. The approved text expanded the ministry’s powers to also deal with female entrepreneurship, the promotion of startups and the simplification of the interaction of micro and small businesses with public authorities.

Last week, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) argued that the government should create more ministries “to take care of more issues in this country”. “We need to stop believing when the press says that ‘there are a lot of ministers, there are a lot of ministers’. There are few ministers, because more ministers are needed to take care of more issues in this country”, said Lula.

The opposition leader, senator Rogério Marinho (PL-RN), criticized the proposal and pointed out that by creating a new ministry the Lula government “is not concerned with public accounts”. Marinho said that the government seeks to create new public positions “to welcome allies.”

Despite the symbolic vote, the following senators spoke out against the proposal: Rogério Marinho, Cleitinho, Carlos Portinho, Flávio Bolsonaro, Damares Alves, Eduardo Girão, Hamilton Mourão, Luís Carlos Heinze, Magno Malta and Jaime Bagattoli.