The president of Fundação Getulio Vargas, Carlos Ivan Simonsen Leal, was one of the prominent figures to speak during the opening ceremony of the 12^th Lisbon Forum, whose theme was “Advances and setbacks in globalization and new frontiers: Legal, political, economic, social, environmental and digital transformations.” In this edition, which expanded the debates beyond the legal area, Leal also moderated a panel discussion called “Global Integration and Trade Blocs.” FGV’s vice president, Professor Clóvis de Faro, also attended the three-day event at the University of Lisbon Law School.

The opening ceremony, held in the Rectory Auditorium, also featured Gilmar Mendes, a Brazilian Federal Supreme Court justice and professor at the Brazilian Institute for Education, Development and Research (IDP) with a doctorate in law from the University of Münster; José Pedro Aguiar-Branco, the president of the Portuguese Parliament; Arthur Lira, the president of Brazil’s House of Representatives; Eduardo Vera-Cruz Pinto, dean of the University of Lisbon Law School; José Alberto Simonetti, president of the Brazilian Bar Association; Carlos Blanco de Morais, a professor at the University of Lisbon Law School; and Vitalino Canas, the president of the Brazil-Europe Integration Forum.

The panel discussion titled “Global Integration and Trade Blocs,” moderated by FGV’s president, involved some influential managers: Roberto Campos Neto, president of the Brazilian Central Bank; Roberto Azevêdo, director general of the World Trade Organization from 2013 to 2020; Miguel Moura e Silva, an associate professor at the University of Lisbon Law School; and Joaquim Levy, chief economist of Banco Safra.

The event also featured the notable participation of Thomas Friedman, author of the bestseller “The World is Flat” and foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times. The winner of three Pulitzer Prizes, who is known for his reporting and accessible analysis of complex issues that shape the world, was part of a debate called “Current Challenges of the Digitalized Global Economy.” The moderators were André Esteves, co-founder of Inteli and chairman and senior partner of BTG Pactual; and Gilmar Mendes. Using clear and compelling language, Friedman discussed the opportunities and challenges that “accelerations,” including technology and connectivity, pose. He also explored solutions – at local and global level – to secure the future of work, skills, income and prosperity.

Two professors from FGV’s School of Public Policy and Government (FGV EPPG), Liziane Angelotti Meira and Hadassah Laís de Sousa Santana, took part in debates at the Brazil-Europe Integration Forum’s Investment and Taxation Workshop, organized by the Brazil-Europe Integration Forum, of which they are both founding members.

In its 12^th and largest edition in recent years, the Lisbon Forum had 50 panel discussions, more than 320 speakers and an audience of over 2,400 people, including Brazilians and Europeans. Organized by the Brazilian Institute for Education, Development and Research (IDP), the Lisbon Public Law Research Center at the University of Lisbon Law School and Fundação Getulio Vargas, through FGV Justice, the event provided a diagnosis of how globalization has been fostered or discouraged in some fields, and the factors impacting Brazil and the world. For the first time, the forum went beyond the legal area and added other fields of knowledge and discussion, such as sustainability, the energy transition, infrastructure and public security.

Academics, managers, specialists, public officials and representatives of organized civil society attended many of this edition’s panel discussion. They included Aloizio Mercadante, the president of the Brazilian development bank, BNDES; José Berenguer, CEO of Banco XP; Michel Temer, president of Brazil from 2016 to 2019; Luís Roberto Barroso, president of Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court; Anielle Franco, the Brazilian minister for racial equality; Alexandre Silveira, Brazil’s mining and energy minister; Luiza Trajano, chairwoman of Brazilian retailer Magazine Luiza; André Esteves, co-founder of Inteli and chairman and senior partner of BTG Pactual; Cláudio Castro, governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro; and Tarcísio de Freitas, governor of the state of Sao Paulo.

The forum’s speakers also included the following Brazilian judges: Alexandre de Moraes, Dias Toffoli, Flávio Dino and Cristiano Zanin of the Federal Supreme Court; and Daniela Teixeira, Afrânio Vilela, Sebastião Reis Júnior, Rogerio Schietti Cruz, Humberto Martins, Luiz Alberto Gurgel de Faria, Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva, Marco Buzzi, João Otávio de Noronha and Mauro Luiz Campbell Marques of the Superior Court of Appeals.

During the three-day event, FGV Justice ran a booth showcasing printed and digital publications and presented some studies in the debates.

A study titled “Actions for Annulment of Arbitral Awards” was presented by Luis Felipe Salomão, a Superior Court of Appeals justice and coordinator of FGV Justice; and Peter Sester, a professor and researcher, during a panel discussion called “Arbitration in the Global Economy: Growing Pains.” Marcus Abraham, a federal appeal court judge and coordinator of the Public Finance and Taxation research area at FGV Justice, took part in a discussion on “Income and Consumption Tax Reforms” and presented the preliminary results of a research project titled “The Social Impact of Tax Reform.”

Luis Felipe Salomão also presented a study called “Content Moderation on Digital Platforms,” during a discussion on “Reform of the Civil Code in Brazil.” Antonio Saldanha, a Superior Court of Appeals justice and coordinator of the Health research area at FGV Justice, presented a study called “An X-ray of the Private Health Insurance System in Brazil” during a discussion about “The Private Sector’s Role in Healthcare Provision.”

During the 12^th Lisbon Forum, Silvia Finguerut, FGV Knowledge’s culture and environment coordinator, moderated a panel discussion called “The Green Agenda and Economic Development.” Judge Elton Leme of the Rio de Janeiro State Court of Appeals, who is also deputy coordinator of FGV Justice, spoke on “Climate Change and Resilient Cities.” Justice Benjamin Zymler of the Federal Audit Court, who coordinates FGV Justice’s Infrastructure research area, took part in a panel on “Delegated Service Concessions.” Finally, Fernando Marcato, a professor at the FGV Sao Paulo Law School and scientific coordinator of the FGV Justice research project “Techniques and Pricing in Sanitation Tenders,” moderated a discussion about “Sustainable Development, Globalization and Innovation.”

The Lisbon Forum is a free, annual public event, which debates important issues in the fields of law, governance, public and private sector management, social responsibility, health, the environment and climate change.

For more information about the event, click here.