The new tariffs announced by Donald Trump’s government against imported products have a more robust legal basis than the measures previously adopted, assesses Celso Figueiredo, partner at BPP Advogados and doctor in International Law.
In an interview with CNN Moneythe expert stated that the surcharge related to accusations of the use of forced labor represents, in practice, a resumption of the global tariff package announced by the American president, but now supported by more consistent legal foundations.
“This tariff on forced labor is nothing more than a replacement of the global tariff that Donald Trump made previously, only now with a coating, with a more solid legal basis than the one he had used,” he stated.
According to Figueiredo, the measure affects practically all of the United States’ trading partners and should mobilize joint efforts to try to reverse the decision with the American government. Still, he considers it difficult for the White House to change its position.
The expert also assesses that political issues have significant weight in the commercial decisions adopted by Washington. In his view, Trump seeks to reinforce the “America First” agenda at a time of declining popularity with his electoral base.
“The political issue ends up coming to the fore not only on the Brazilian side, but also on the United States side. The technical issue will have to run in parallel,” he said.
For Figueiredo, Brazil’s negotiating space is more related to expanding the list of products exempt from surcharges than to the complete reversal of the measures. He highlights that several products relevant to the American economy have already been protected from the new tariffs, especially items linked to agribusiness.
Despite this, sectors such as machinery, equipment and fish remain exposed and could be the target of future negotiations between the two countries.
In the expert’s assessment, the Brazilian strategy must combine dialogue with the United States and the search for new consumer markets, reducing dependence on the American market in the face of the advancement of protectionist measures.
