U.S.-Brazil Commercial Dialogue Statement 2022

The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce and the Brazilian Secretariat of Foreign Trade, Brazilian Ministry of Economy issue the following Joint Statement that celebrates the 20th Plenary of the U.S.-Brazil Commercial Dialogue, noting the numerous accomplishments since the first plenary in 2006 and setting forth an ambitious agenda for the coming year. Results:

Strong Partnership – The most important result of the long-lasting Commercial Dialogue is the strong partnership that has developed between the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Brazilian Ministry of Economy. This partnership empowers staffs at both Ministries to work together towards a common goal – to grow bilateral trade and investment to the benefit of both of our economies.

Key outcomes of this partnership include:

The U.S.-Brazil Protocol on Trade Rules and Transparency – Technical discussions under the Commercial Dialogue on trade facilitation and good regulatory practices laid the foundation for the successful completion of the ATEC Protocol featuring Annexes on Good Regulatory Practices (GRP) and Trade Facilitation.

Standards & Metrology – One of the earliest successes of the Commercial Dialogue was the development of certified reference materials for biodiesel and bioethanol as a result of the partnership between the U.S. National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) and Brazil’s National Institute of Metrology, Quality and Technology (INMETRO). Both institutions have developed a close collaborative relationship that has enabled numerous scientific exchanges, led to the development of sectoral industry regulatory guides for each market, and supports ongoing information sharing in order to strengthen the National Quality Infrastructure System in each country. The overall goal of this collaboration is to support industry by avoiding technical barriers to trade between our countries, including throughout INMETRO’s recent regulatory framework reform.

Fostering Innovation by Protecting IP – The U.S. Patent & Trademark Office and Brazil’s National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) have worked together to reduce the time needed to obtain patent and trademark protection. Key accomplishments in this area include the adoption and continuing improvement of the Patent Prosecution Highway and Brazil’s accession to the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks (Madrid Protocol.)

Responding to Changing Needs - The Dialogue continues to evolve and grow to reflect 21st century trade issues. The Trade in the Digital Economy Working Group shares and promotes best practices on topics shaping the digital economy. The working group is facilitating bilateral exchanges to create conditions that foster predictability without hindering innovation and competition.

Looking Forward:

We reaffirm our commitment to work together to Prevent, Reduce and Remove non-tariff and unnecessary technical barriers to trade with the goal of growing bilateral trade and investment. Priorities for 2022-23 and beyond include:

• Support Brazil’s OECD ambitions – The Commercial Dialogue will leverage engagement on various workstreams related to good regulatory practices, trade facilitation and others to support Brazil’s efforts to accede to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The Dialogue is also developing a work stream related to the OECD Jobs Strategy.
• Climate – Working groups will continue to incorporate climate into their work streams. Topics under discussion include: trade in remanufactured goods; green logistics; the nexus between labor and environment; and promoting trade in clean technologies.
• Labor – The Dialogue will also incorporate the exchange of experiences and best practices related to the promotion of responsible business conduct with a focus on decent work, along with trade adjustment assistance programs and workforce development for digital workers.
• Pandemic Response- NIST and INMETRO are positioning themselves as strategic partners in the Americas to be ready to respond, together with private sector stakeholders in the chemical and life science industries, to future public health crises.
• The U.S.-Brazil Protocol on Trade Rules and Transparency – Through the GRP and Trade Facilitation workstreams, the Commercial Dialogue will support implementation of the trade facilitation and GRP annexes. We will feature exchanges on issues such as digitization of trade procedures, processing small packages, the role of consultative committees and engaging diverse parties in consultations, regulatory agendas, and addressing the burden of regulation, including on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
• The GRP Declaration as an outcome of the Ninth Summit of the Americas - We reiterate our satisfaction with the adherence of 14 countries to the document. Brazil and the United States strongly support GRP and will continue to foster this positive agenda considering its expected favorable impacts on trade and investment flows across the region.
• Authorized Economic Operator Mutual Recognition Arrangement – The Commercial Dialogue has long supported this initiative, acknowledging its importance to the business community in both countries. We are pleased to see the process advance and expect the arrangement to be signed in September 2022.
• Laying the foundation for future agreements – The Commercial Dialogue will continue to bring together stakeholders and issue experts to develop better mutual understanding of technical issues related to international trade with the long-term goal of fostering an environment for future agreements.
• Fostering Regional Value Chains – The Commercial Dialogue will leverage the working groups to support both countries’ efforts to enhance regional value chains by bringing together technical experts and sharing best practices.
• Remain engaged with the private sector – While formally a government-to-government mechanism, the United States and Brazil remain committed to working with the private sectors in both countries to identify challenges and develop solutions to improve the flow of trade. We reiterate our intentions to take special consideration of the needs of SMEs and will evaluate the inclusion of additional stakeholders, to better address the changing scope of trade.

Since 2006, through economic downturns and expansions, the U.S.-Brazil Commercial Dialogue has been a consistent, reliable, and effective partnership that delivers concrete results to the business communities with the aim of improving the economy for all communities in the United States and Brazil. The Department of Commerce and Ministry of Economy are proud of the work that has been accomplished and recognize that much work remains to be done. We are committed to working with our business communities to promote shared prosperity and foster economic growth in the United States and Brazil.