The Brazilian government has filed a complaint against the United States at the WTO (World Trade Organization) in response to tariffs imposed by Donald Trump.
The so-called request for consultations was delivered on Wednesday (6) to the U.S. mission at the WTO.
Although the move is unlikely to have practical effects—since the request must be accepted by the U.S. and the WTO’s highest dispute body is currently paralyzed—it is seen by government officials as an important symbolic gesture to reaffirm Brazil’s support for the multilateral trade dispute settlement system.
On Tuesday (5), Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira had announced that the consultation procedure would be initiated.
The WTO request, which marks the first step in a formal process, came two days after a meeting of the Strategic Council of the Foreign Trade Chamber, chaired by Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and attended by other senior officials, including ministers Rui Costa (Chief of Staff), Fernando Haddad (Finance), Simone Tebet (Planning), and Alexandre Silveira (Mines and Energy).
