The National Congress of Brazil in Brasilia, designed by Oscar Niemeyer image
The U.S. - Brazil Commercial Dialogue
Joint Statement of Plenary Session The U.S.-Brazil Commercial Dialogue

Brazil U.S.- Brazil Commercial Dialogue Statement 2019

Joint Statement of the 17th Edition of the U.S.-Brazil Commercial DialogueBrasilia, September 24th to 26th, 2019 

As a result of the meeting of the Plenary Session of the 17th edition of the U.S.-Brazil Commercial  Dialogue,  and  with  the  presence  of  Brazilian  Secretary  of  Foreign  Trade  Lucas  Pedreira  do  Couto  Ferraz  and  Director  of  Policy  for the International  Trade Administration Joseph Laroski, it is a pleasure to announce the progress made since the last  plenary  of  the  Dialogue,  held  in  Washington  D.C.,  August  1st,  2018,  and  convey  plans to continue to work through the Dialogue to grow our bilateral trade and investment. 


Strategic  Priorities

The  U.S.-Brazil  Commercial  Dialogue  was  established  with  the  goal  of  growing  bilateral trade  and  investment.  The United  States  and  Brazil  have established a broad agenda and partnerships have developed well beyond the Ministry of Economy  (into  which  the  Ministry  of  Industry,  Foreign  Trade  and  Services  was  integrated) and  the  U.S.  Department  of  Commerce  (DOC).  DOC  and  the  Ministry  of  Economy used  this  17th  plenary  meeting  to  reaffirm  the strategic  priorities  of  the Dialogue.  Recognizing  that  our  long-term  objective  is  to  grow  bilateral trade  flows  by removing  technical  barriers  to  trade  and  fostering  partnerships  that  lead  to  increased  commercial opportunities, the Dialogue will continue to focus on cross-cutting issues that benefit multiple industries, while also fostering industry specific-collaboration where we identify a mutual interest.

Strategic priorities include:

Preventing, reducing and eliminating non-tariff barriers to trade:  

  • Facilitating movement of goods across borders

DOC and the Ministry of Economy will continue to work together to increase the flow of goods at the border. Positive developments in trade facilitation include improvements in the  publication  of  trade-related  information  through  the  new  Brazilian  Single  Window  and the initiation of the exchange of electronic phytosanitary certificates via the e-Phyto Hub  of  the  International  Plant  Protection  Convention.  Brazil  will  pilot  the  e-Phyto exchange  in  2019,  and  will  fully  operationalize  activities  by  early  2020. Both  sides  pledged  to  exchange  contact  persons  to  monitor  and  ensure  implementation  of  this  activity. Participants  also  received  updates  on  cooperation  between  INMETRO  (the Brazilian  National  Institute  of  Metrology,  Quality  and  Technology)  and  the  U.S. Consumer   Product   Safety   Commission   (CPSC)   related   to   new   risk   management   techniques for  import controls,  as  well  as  updates  on  progress  made  towards  the  AEO  (Authorized  Economic  Operator)  mutual  recognition  arrangement. Participants  also  discussed implementation  of  the  WTO  Trade  Facilitation  Agreement  (TFA),  including topics  such  as  the  operation  of  each  country’s  respective National  Trade  FacilitationCommittee, advance rulings, and electronic procedures for border clearance of expedited shipments. Finally,  to  develop  a  closer  relationship  between  the governments  and  the  private  sector,  representatives  of  both governments  participated  in  a  trade  facilitation roundtable  to  hear  the  private  sector’s  experience  moving  goods  across  each  country’s  borders to identify opportunities for future initiatives. 

  • Promoting good regulatory practices

The governments of the United States and Brazil are committed to working together to enhance   the   implementation   of   good   regulatory   practices   (GRP).   Consistent   and   transparent  regulatory  development  and  implementation  helps  lead  to  effective  and efficient regulatory outcomes and public policies, while avoiding unnecessary barriers to 
trade. Both Governments reaffirmed their commitment to execute the Memorandum of Understanding Regarding Joint Cooperation on Good Regulatory Practices between the Executive Secretariat of the Foreign Trade Council (CAMEX) and Casa Civil of Brazil and the U.S.  International  Trade  Administration  (ITA)  and  Office  of  Information  and  Regulatory  Affairs  (OIRA),  signed  during  the  16th  plenary. On  the  margins  of  the  17thplenary,  both  sides  exchanged    information  on  regulatory  impact  analysis  (RIA)  at  a fruitful side event, where the Brazilian Health Regulatory Agency (ANVISA) presented its experience in applying the principles of design thinking to RIA,  and ITA presented on RIA   guidance   and   best   practices   identified by   international   organizations.    Both Governments  agreed  to  a  comprehensive  Work  Plan  for  2019-2020  focused  on  cross-cutting  issues,  including  information  exchanges  on  RIA  and  other  evidence-based approaches;    notification    and    consultation;    intergovernmental    coordination;    and    regulatory improvement.

  • Improving understanding   of   U.S.   and   Brazilian   approaches   to   technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures.

The United States and Brazil recognize that technical regulations, standards and conformity assessment procedures play a vital role in, inter alia, protecting human health and safety, animal and plant life and health, and the environment and in preventing deceptive practices. However, they also affect international trade. The differences between the two countries’ systems can raise costs for businesses that seek to access foreign markets. Aimed at removing unnecessary technical barriers to facilitate reciprocal market access and expanding opportunities, especially for small and medium enterprises, the Dialogue fosters the exchange of views, best practices, information and experts between U.S . and Brazilian governmental bodies and industrieson these topics. A deeper understanding of each other’s regulatory systems allows participants to identify potential areas for further cooperation in order to improve bilateral trade. Through the Commercial Dialogue, several governmental bodies in the United States and in Brazil have strengthened institutional discussions and cooperation. For instance, within the 2019-2020 Work Plan, the Brazilian National Telecommunications Agency (ANATEL) and the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) have agreed to discuss 5G technology in addition to continuing their technical exchanges on other priority topics.  The  participants  also  agreed  to  hold  a  comprehensive  conformity  assessment  dialogue,  which will encompass an exchange of information concerning U.S. and Brazil standards, conformity assessment and regulatory systems, the role of regulators in those systems, as well as experiences concerning the acceptance of conformity assessment results in each other’s markets. The Standards & Conformity Assessment Trade Related Issues Working Group  and  the Standards  and  Metrology  Working  Group also  agreed  to  explore  the  feasibility of developing new industry guides.

  • Cooperatively developing and increasing access to measurement standards and methodologies for current and emerging technologies.

The  U.S.  National  Institute  of  Standards  &  Technology  (NIST)  and  INMETRO,  the respective  agencies  in  the  U.S.  and  Brazil  for  measurement  science  and  standards, reiterate  their  commitment  to  deepening their collaboration  in  legal,  scientific  and  industrial metrology. Proposed projects include exchanges of personnel and training.  

  • Increasing access to intellectual property protection and improving efficiency of patent and trademark processes

Both countries are committed to fostering innovation and economic prosperity through the protection of intellectual property through cooperation in examination training and sharing best practices in quality measures. In this regard, on May 8, 2018, the Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) pilot project was renewed for two years and expanded to include the information technology sector. This year, participants discussed terms for PPH’s expansion and agreed to continue the strong partnership between the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) and the Brazilian National Institute for Industrial Property (INPI) by building upon work sharing arrangements, cooperating to increase efficiency and exchanging best practices to improve the patent and trademark review process. Furthermore, Brazil acceded to the Madrid Protocol this year, after continued information exchanges between INPI and USPTO under the Dialogue regarding best practices for accession to the treaty.

  • Advancing the digital economy

Launched  during  the  last  edition  of  the  Dialogue  in  2018,  the  Trade  in  the  Digital  Economy Working Group focuses on developing the trade-related aspects of the digital economy in  order  to  grow  electronic  commerce,  drive  innovation  and  foster  an  environment  that  supports  a  robust  digital  sector  in  both  the  United  States  and  Brazil.Participants agreed to discussions in two topic areas: Digital Trade Rules and Emerging Technologies  &  Impact  on  Trade.  After  identifying  these areas  of  mutual  interest, participants are working to develop an agenda to conduct meaningful technical exchanges on  key  issues,  including digital  services  taxes,  cross  border  data  flows  and  personal  information  protection,  and  liability  for  third-party  content.  Also  to  be  considered  are  proposals to address the trade-related aspects of AI, 5G and IoT.

Investment promotion and facilitation

The Ministry of Economy and DOC recognize the importance of continuing cooperation on  investment  issues.  Looking  forward,  both  governments  agree  on  the  relevance  of  sharing best practices on mechanisms for supporting foreign investors, as well as other issues related to attracting and promoting foreign investment. 


Promoting commercial opportunities

The  Dialogue  will  continue  to  identify  and  develop  commercial  opportunities,  bring  together   industries   to   foster   partnerships   and   build   upon   the   strong   U.S.-Brazil commercial synergies that already exist. With that goal in mind the Ministry of Economy and DOC agreed to identify specific industries for further cooperation.


Looking Ahead

After  thirteen  years,  the  Dialogue  continues  to  serve  as  a  mechanism  for  cooperation  through   political   transitions   in   both   countries   and   in   varying   global   economic   environments. Commerce and the Ministry of Economy are proud of the work that has been  accomplished  and  note  that  much  remains  to  be  done.  We  are  committed  to  transform  this  mechanism  into  a  stronger  and  even  more  effective  forum  for  bilateral  cooperation  between  the  United  States  and  Brazil  with  the  goal  of  increasing  bilateral trade and investment and promoting greater prosperity for both countries