On 18 September 2014, the Council of Ministers of the Foreign Trade Chamber (CAMEX), chaired by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC), decided to approve the inclusion of four new products in the Brazilian List of Exceptions to Common External rate (Letec), with reduction of import duty. Two of these products are hybrid vehicles without external recharging (combustion engine that works with the aid of electric or pneumatic drive system) technology, according…
On 1 October 2014, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that the United States and Brazil have reached agreement to settle the longstanding Cotton dispute in the WTO. Under the terms of the agreement, Brazil will terminate the Cotton case, giving up its rights to countermeasures against U.S. trade or any further proceedings in this dispute. Brazil has also agreed not to bring new WTO actions against U.S. cotton…
The Council of Ministers of Chamber of Foreign Trade (CAMEX), chaired by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (MDIC), announced that at its December 18, 2013, meeting, it decided to restart in January, the process of public consultations on intellectual property in retaliation against the United States, for failure to comply with the WTO cotton decision. Public consultations with stakeholders will be held from January 2, 2014 until January 31, 2014. The technical…
On August 23, 2013, US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and Deputy National Security Advisor for International Economic Affairs Caroline Atkinson announced the US private sector members who will serve the next term on the US-Brazil CEO Forum. The Forum will meet during the State visit of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff to Washington, D.C., in October and will provide joint recommendations to both presidents on opportunities to advance the US-Brazil bilateral relationship. Pritzker and Atkinson…
On 13 August 2013, the Secretary of Foreign Trade (SECEX) in the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade published in the Diário Oficial da União (Official Gazette)Circular № 46 of 12 August 2013 announcing the opening of consultations on the position Brazil should take in negotiations to expand the Preferential Trade Agreement between the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) and India signed in 2004 and in force since June 2009. Currently, the agreement grants preferences…
On August 2, 2013, following Presidential approval, Brazil’s new Anti-Bribery Law (“Anti-Bribery Law”, Law No. 12,846/2013), which imposes civil and administrative liability on legal entities for acts committed against local and foreign public administration, especially those related to corrupt practices, was published in the Diário Oficial da União (Official Gazette). The new law will come into force in 180 days. President Dilma Rousseff vetoed three specific features of the bill: 1) Veto of §6 or…
On August 1, 2013, Brazil’s President Dilma Roussef approved the country’s new Anti-Bribery Law. Following Presidential approval, the new law (Law 12,846/2013) was published on the Official Gazette on August 2, 2013 and it will come into force in 180 days after that date. The main features of the new Anti-Bribery Law are described in our alert of July 5, 2013. President Dilma Roussef vetoed three specific provisions of the bill: a) limitation of fines…
On July 4, 2013, the Brazilian Senate approved Bill of Law 6,826/2010 (“Anti-bribery Law”), which imposes civil and administrative liability on legal entities for acts committed in detriment of the local and foreign Public Administration, specially those related to corrupt practices. With its approval by the Senate, the Bill of Law will be sent for Presidential approval. After that, it will come into force 180 days after it is published on the official gazette (it…