Brazil’s Palacio do Planalto, the presidential palace in Brasilia, said this week it plans to adopt “measures against actions it sees as protectionist” from the US government, which imposed duties over the imports of Brazilian HRC and CRC.
Brazil’s foreign minister, Jose Serra, told reporters the country will consult with WTO about the barriers the US to Brazilian flat steel exports. Serra said US measures make exports to the US more difficult.
“That makes exports unfeasible. I’d like to remember that the US is a large manufacturing import market,” he said.
Carlos Cozendey, undersecretary of economic affairs at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said Brazil will request WTO to open a process to solve the dispute. Consulting with WTO is the first step to solve the issue.
If negotiations are not successful, Brazil is expected to file an appeal at a WTO panel.