MDIC’s Executive Secretariat opens public consultation on increasing interaction between the topics

On June 05, the Executive Secretariat of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade (“MDIC”) opened a public consultation to receive comments and suggestions on the increasing interaction between international trade and sustainable development.

The public consultation follows the authorization, granted by the Strategic Council of the Brazilian Foreign Trade Chamber (“CEC”) on May 16, 2023, for the creation of the Working Group on Trade and Sustainability (“GT Sustentabilidade”) under the Foreign Trade Chamber (“CAMEX”).

At the time, the CEC emphasized the need to coordinate Brazil’s responses to the environmental protection measures that have been adopted internally by some countries to mitigate climate change, which have a high potential to impact international trade.

The discussions on the interaction between international trade and sustainable development are at the heart of the international community’s attention and are part of the agenda of important international forums, such as the WTO, the Group of 20 (G20), the five regional economies encompassing Brazil, India, China and South Africa (“BRICS”) and Mercosur, in addition to being part of the negotiation of chapters and clauses of trade agreements around the world.

According to the MDIC, the purpose of the public consultation is to collect contributions from the Brazilian society on different topics that arise from the relationship between international trade and sustainable development, including its economic, social and environmental aspects, in order to contribute to the structuring of Brazil’s positioning in international trade negotiations and debates within international organizations.

The public consultation includes 49 items available for contribution, which comprehend wide-ranging topics, among which the following stand out:

• Non-tariff trade barriers.
• Regulation of environmental goods and services.
• Circular economy.
• Green subsidies.
• Reduction of plastic waste and fostering of a more sustainable plastics trade for the benefit of the environment.
• Competitive concerns due to the cutback in tariff and non-tariff barriers within Brazil for:
  • international environmental goods and services;
  • international goods of the circular economy; and
  • goods regarded as substitutes for plastics.
• Inclusion, by the Brazilian government, of clauses and chapters that seek to ensure, in trade agreements:
  • compliance with international rules and conventions for labor rights;
  • the stimulation of economic development; and
  • the fostering of social protection.

Contributions, comments and suggestions can be submitted by August 04, 2023.

Access the full draft of the public consultation on the “Participa +Brasil” platform. Contributions must also be submitted through the same platform.

Demarest’s International Trade, ESG, and Environmental teams are available to provide more information and advice on the public consultation.