The border joins forces to improve the shopping experience in the region. Codetri (Development Council of the Trinational Region of Iguassu) established the Trinational Technical Chamber for Consumer Defense and Protection.
The goal is to work together — public agencies, civil society and the private sector — to improve the shopping experience in the Three Borders of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The focus will be on providing guidance and support to border residents and visitors.
The chamber also intends to act in trinational cooperation and in the search for standardization of procedures and legislation. This role will be performed by dialoguing with the resolutions of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) and respecting the autonomy of each country.
“The purpose is always to help each other, promote service channels, raise awareness and provide support,” said Roni Temp. “It is a combination to protect Argentine, Brazilian and Paraguayan consumers who make their purchases in the cities of the trinational region, which includes products and services,” stressed the president of the Codetri.
The coordinator of the Trinational Consumer Protection CT, lawyer Luiz Antônio de Souza, emphasized the importance of integrated work. “We see asymmetries, since we are talking about legislation from three countries and Mercosur, but also possibilities for convergence within international law, in order to qualify processes and procedures,” he emphasized.
Border and shopping experience
The meeting to create the Trinational Consumer Defense and Protection CT was attended by Roni Temp, president of Codetri; Luiz Antônio de Souza, representative of Unifoz College; Sidney Calixto, coordinator of Procon in Foz do Iguaçu; Mayana Tarbine, from the Consumer Rights Commission of OAB/Foz; Ahmad Nagib Al Ghazaoui, representative of the Chamber of Commerce and Services of Ciudad del Este; Isabelle Magalhães, from the Empreender Program of ACIFI and Codetri; Suelen de Souza, advisor to Procon in Foz do Iguaçu; and Luis Gustavo Flores, from NAPI Trinacional and Codetri.
Leaders of institutions and entities from Argentina and Paraguay have also expressed their support for the technical chamber, which will act dynamically, mainly based on common demands. After the creation of the committee, actions were listed that could be undertaken in the work to benefit consumers and improve the shopping experience in the trinational region.
Trinational development
A pioneering experience in governance and integration, Codetri was formed in 2018 and will be institutionalized in 2025, with the signing of a cooperation agreement. It is formed by the Economic Development Councils of Ciudad del Este (Codeleste), Foz do Iguaçu (Codefoz), Presidente Franco (Codefran) and Puerto Iguazú (Codespi).
Its objective is to be a common body, integrating civil society and the public and private sectors in the debate and formulation of proposals that generate cross-border development. It is not only a pioneering experience, but also an experience that stands out from the others because it is horizontal, that is, it involves all segments of society represented in governance.
(With information from Codetri)
