Brazil enacts agreement to facilitate trade in Mercosur

The Brazilian government on Friday (May 8) enacted measures aimed at speeding up and simplifying trade procedures within Mercosur.

The decree putting into force the Mercosur Trade Facilitation Agreement, signed in December 2019 by Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, was published in Brazil’s Official Gazette.

The measure was signed by Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, acting as president, and follows congressional approval of the text in September 2023.

The agreement establishes common rules to facilitate trade within the bloc, aligned with the guidelines of the World Trade Organization and the World Customs Organization.

The main points include:

• expanding the use of electronic documentation
• adopting faster customs procedures based on risk management
• promoting regulatory transparency
• encouraging cooperation among border authorities in member countries

The text also provides for specific measures to speed up the clearance of goods, including perishables, the implementation of the Single Foreign Trade Window, and the broader exchange of documents in digital format, such as certificates of origin and sanitary certificates.

In addition, the agreement seeks to reduce costs and timeframes, increase the predictability of rules, and provide greater legal certainty for foreign trade operators, with special attention to micro, small and medium-sized companies.

Any measures that revise the agreement or create new financial commitments for Brazil will remain subject to approval by the National Congress.

Source: Agência Brasil

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