Brazil and Argentina evaluate the reduction of import tariffs in Mercosur

In a substantial change for the internal dynamics of Mercosur, Argentina and Brazil are evaluating the concrete possibility of reducing the bloc's common external tariffs for certain products in order to promote the benefits of national productivity and open up markets.

Definitions of this negotiation will begin to close next March 7th when the Brazilian chancellor Ernesto Araújo trip to Argentina to meet his couple Jorge Faurie to give continuity to the conversations held by the presidents of last January Jair Bolsonaro and Mauricio Macri.

As revealed to Infobae Qualified diplomatic sources from Brazil and Argentina, the negotiations between Mercosur's two majority partners constitute an "important step" to reduce the external tariffs of a total variety of more than 10,000 products.

"Given the mandate of Macri and Bolsonaro to work for the integration of Mercosur in the world, we will follow the idea of reduce tariffs on imported products. This will undoubtedly generate an advantage in the internal production chain of each of our countries because the values ​​of imported products will be reduced, "revealed an Itamaraty official.

For its part, Palacio San Martín confirmed the date of the meeting between Faurie and Araújo to "advance a new tariff scheme and new adjustments that will be made to Mercosur," they said.

This reduction in customs duties would only apply to products imported from Mercosur. According to the founding charter of the bloc, each country has the right to choose a group of products tending to modify its tariffs and everything is discussed later. This would avoid affecting different key industries of the different Mercosur partners.

The idea of ​​a reduction in external tariffs could be finalized in April, at the Mercosur Presidents' Summit in Argentina, where Macri is currently interim president of the bloc. At this meeting, Bolsonaro has already confirmed his presence, as well as the president of Uruguay, Tabaré Vázquez, and Paraguay, Mario Benítez.

For the moment, the meeting of the Argentine and Brazilian Foreign Ministers of March 7 will address the issue and will also refine the block negotiations with the European Union and the situation in Venezuela.