analysed and the Middle East where the same three companies exhibited a total of 23 times. and services for business promotion and the promotion of Brazilian products and services abroad. These The most active companies were Condor, CBC, and Taurus which between them accounted for 88% of the total number of visits to international arms fairs by the Brazilian companies featured in this report during this period. actions deepen relations between Brazilian entrepreneurs and foreign buyers, contributing to the expansion and consolidation of business between them’100. Interestingly there appears to be a growth in the rate of attendance to international arms fairs by Brazilian law In recent years, a number of states have introduced regulations to control the types of products that can be enforcement equipment manufacturers, with the number of exhibition visits by companies analysed increasing promoted for sale on their websites, in the media and at arms and security fairs. Most notably, as part of its from just three in 2010 to 21 in 2015. This trend not only demonstrates the growing strength of the Brazilian ‘Anti-Torture Regulation’ members of the European Union, agreed to prohibit the promotion of a wide range of defence sector but also the ambition of some Brazilian companies to compete in markets, which have historically inherently abusive law enforcement and security weapons101. Some states, including the United Kingdom, have been dominated by US and European companies. gone further, prohibiting the promotion of additional types of equipment including direct contact and projectile Key to the international success of Brazil’s defence industry over the past decade has been the Brazilian Agency electric shock weapons. for Export and Investment Promotion (APEX). Since 2006, APEX, in partnership with the Brazilian Defence Failure to comply with these guidelines has previously led a Brazilian company to be expelled from an arms and Security Industries Association (ABIMDE), has helped to facilitate the participation of Brazilian companies fair. In 2019, Condor’s stand at the UK arms exhibition Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) at arms fairs and events around the world. Between 2007 and 2013, APEX invested around R$ 13 million to was shut down and the company ejected from the event, following the discovery of a marketing brochure for support the participation of 63 companies, including manufacturers of law enforcement equipment in more than 30 international events . Describing the role of the agency 99 in promoting these companies, APEX’s President Maurício Borges commented that it, ‘offers to exporting companies and partner organisations a diversified group of stocks ▲▼ Figure 2: Attendance of Brazilian companies at international arms fairs 2010-2019 its projectile electric shock weapon SPARK. According to the event’s organisers Clarion Events, the promotion of the weapon was “not permitted under UK law and [was] a breach of the event’s strict contractual terms and conditions”102. As such, when attending arms fairs internationally it is important for Brazilian companies, supported by APEX and ABIDME, to respect and comply with local laws and regulations as well as the policies of the event organisers. 4.2 Import, Distribution and Promotion in Brazil Historically, Brazil’s arms industry has been characterized by protectionism. Although President Bolsonaro and his predecessors have recently attempted to increase market competition by removing certain restrictions on the import and sale of firearms and live ammunition103, restrictions on the importation of ‘strategic defence products’ which include certain types of kinetic impact projectiles and chemical irritants remain in place104. Despite these restrictions, high levels of government defence spending mean that Brazil remains an attractive market for foreign companies. Between 2014 and 2018, Brazil imported more foreign-manufactured arms than any other Latin American country, equivalent to 27% of the region’s total arms imports105. The attractiveness of the Brazilian market to foreign manufacturers is further demonstrated by the growing attendance at Brazil’s largest biennial arms fair LAAD Defence & Security, which brings together manufacturers and suppliers of military and law enforcement equipment, including less lethal weapons, from around the world106. Between 2011 and 2019 the number of visitors attending LAAD grew from 21,000 to just over 38,000. During the same period, the number of official delegations in attendance at the event also grew from 53 to 133. Among recent exhibitors at the event have been some of the world’s largest and well-known manufacturers of law enforcement and security equipment, including Non-lethal Technologies (US), Safariland (US) and Rippel Effect (South Africa). 44  45