Economic Agreement Brazil-US will have 1st meeting of ministers

USA: a "global concern" that will be addressed in the meeting between the ministers is the excess of production capacity of the steel industry

Brasilia - The Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation (Atec, its acronym in English), sealed between Brazil and the United States in 2011, will on Wednesday, 30, the first meeting at the ministerial level in Washington.

The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), Mauro Vieira, and the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Armando Monteiro, should make a comprehensive review of the trade agenda with the ambassador of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), Michael Froman, for which they will also report difficulties and identify new business opportunities.

During the meeting, the United States should talk about negotiations within the Transpacific and Transatlantic Partnership, and to discuss the implementation of agreements with Mexico and Chile.

On the other hand, Brazil will address mainly its work with the Mercosur and the European Union, not to mention agreements with South Africa and the intention to start negotiations with other countries, such as India.

The subjects were early on Tuesday, 29, by Ambassador Carlos Márcio Bicalho Cozendey, Under-Secretary-General for Economic Affairs and Financial Itamaraty.

Ministers should also discuss the implementation of the outcomes of the Ministerial of the World Trade Organization Conference (WTO) in Nairobi, which occurred in December last year.

For Cozendey, the fact that Brazil has joined the WTO agreement to increase world trade "is positive news that will stimulate the further development of specific cooperation gestated with the United States."

Another "global concern" that will be addressed in the meeting between the ministers is excess production capacity in the steel industry.

"This is a subject that interests the two countries, major steel producers. It is relevant bilateral point of view, since the US began a series of investigations into dumping and antissubsídios in this sector. The market will be assessed and they will discuss the what can be done in the medium term, to reduce this excess, "the ambassador.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership will also be meeting agenda. Last year, the agreement signed between the US, Japan and ten other economies of the Pacific basin has generated concern in the Brazilian government, which still fears isolation in the global chain of trade and less competitiveness of its products, mainly in the manufacturing and agribusiness segment.

"The expectation is that in industrial products this agreement does not make much difference, except in specific sectors where there is tariff peaks, such as textiles. As the US make concessions for these products to other countries, the Brazilian industry will have more difficulty to compete, "said Cozendey.


Brazilian ministers should ask the United States on points of agreement considered "vague" and "unclear" as those relating to environmental and sanitary measures.