Sanctioned last Friday (11), the Commercial Reciprocity Law came into force on Monday (14) after being published in the Federal Official Gazette.
The legislation authorizes the Brazilian government to adopt trade measures against countries and blocks that impose unilateral barriers to Brazil’s products in the global market. The information was confirmed by the Planalto Palace.
THE Text was approved by the National Congress at the beginning of the month and sanctioned last week, no vetoesby President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Tariff
The new law is a response to climbing of the trade war Unleashed by US President Donald Trump against most countries in the world, but intensified in recent days more specifically against China.
In the case of Brazil, the US tariff was 10% on all products exported to the US market. The exception in this margin of tariffs They are steel and aluminumwhose surcharge imposed by Americans was 25%, significantly affecting Brazilian companies, which constitute the third largest exporters of these metals to the US.
In a speech during the 9th summit of the community of Latin American and Caribbean states (Celac), in Honduras, last Wednesday (9), Lula again criticized adoption of commercial tariffs.
On the same day, he also said that he will use all possible forms of negotiation, including process opening in the World Trade Organization (WTO), to try to reverse tariffs before adopting retaliatory trade actions.
New law
The Commercial Reciprocity Law establishes criteria for responses to unilateral actions, policies or practices of the country or economic bloc that “negatively impact Brazilian international competitiveness”.
The norm will apply to countries or blocks that “interfere with the legitimate and sovereign choices of Brazil”.
In Article 3 of the text, for example, the Strategic Council of the Foreign Trade Chamber (Camex) is authorized, linked to the Executive, to “adopt contracted in the form of restriction on imports of goods and services”, also providing for negotiation measures between the parties before any decision.
