Brazil's New Trade Policy After the 2022 Presidential Election: A Policy Review During the ABCI Institute/AUWCL's Trade Symposium

On December 8 and 9, 2022, the ABCI Institute (Brazilian International Trade Analysts Institute) and the Washington College of Law organized the XVIII ABCI/WCL Symposium on International Trade. This year’s major theme was “Trade Perspectives for Brazil and the World”.

The first day panel, “Brazilian trade policy: legacy and perspectives”, brought together two former Brazilian secretaries of trade, Welber Barral (2007-2011) and Abrão Neto (2016-2018).  The session was opened with remarks by ABCI’s chairman Prof. Aluísio de Lima-Campos and WCL Director of the International Legal Studies Program, Prof. Padideh Ala’i. The panelists debated the recent evolution of trade policy in Brazil, regarding tariffs, trade remedies, trade agreements and investment policy under the current and in view of the coming administration. In terms of perspectives, panelists agreed that the environment would be a priority in Brazil’s trade policy.

The first panel was also preceded by a recorded message from Brazil’s Ambassador to the United States, Nestor Foster Jr., who highlighted current trade-related challenges for Brazil-US relationship, including trade barriers in the steel market.

On the second day, Prof. Gary Hufbauer (Peterson Institute for International Economics) and Prof Otaviano Canuto (Policy Center for the New South) discussed Globalization, Industrial Policy, and Inequalities. Among other points, panelists discussed the rise of New Industrial Policy, the decreased relevance of WTO rules, the limited role of FTAs, the need for WTO reforms, and the need for negotiations on a plurilateral basis going forward such as in the e-commerce talks. Development strategies for emerging markets and world income inequalities were also discussed.  

Symposium Recordings

Round table Day 1, December 8, 2022: Brazilian Trade Policy – Legacy and perspectives https://media.wcl.american.edu/Mediasite/Play/f0c9981ab15747cd8e777e7560c323061d

Round table Day 2, December 9: Globalization, Industrial Policy and Inequalities https://media.wcl.american.edu/Mediasite/Play/86ce5cc4aef44dcd8d2b936dc61fb1fd1d