An Irish Ministry of Finance spokesman said the government was surprised by the move on 13 September 2016 by Brazil to place the country on its blacklist for tax havens ({News-2016-09-16/A/2- previous coverage}). He emphasized that Ireland does not meet any of the international standards to be considered a tax haven, and that the country is an active participant in global work to reform the international corporate tax system. The spokesman also noted that the Irish ambassador in Brazil is attempting to get a meeting with the Brazilian authorities to affect Ireland's removal from the list.