Apex hires lawyers to help sectors against US tariff
The Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) hired a law firm in the United States to assist national productive sectors that may be affected by the 25% surcharge signaled by the Donald Trump government.
According to the agency's industry and services manager, Mariele Christ, the international legal structure is consolidating the different positions of Brazilian industries harmed by tariffs. "The objective is to raise awareness among different stakeholders and actors in the North American ecosystem," Christ told CNN this Wednesday (17), during Europe's biggest technology event, VivaTech.
Apex's action seeks to shape Brazil's participation in public hearings in the United States - which must take place by July 15th - to formalize technical defenses and also seek the support of the local business community that purchases Brazilian products.
The trigger for this mobilization was the announcement that Brazil has formally entered the crosshairs of Section 301 of the United States Trade Act of 1974, a mechanism that the White House uses to retaliate against trading partners under the allegation of "unfair practices".
The USTR (United States Trade Representative) proposed a 25% surcharge that threatens to strangle around 21% of the total value of Brazilian exports to the American market - the equivalent of US$ 11 billion -, concentrating the blow on high value-added manufactured products, such as footwear, plastics, leather goods and agricultural machinery.
Christ highlights that the United States is a vital trading partner for Brazil, being the main destination for national manufactured goods, which amplifies the impact of tariffs on segments such as footwear and furniture.
"We are seeking to mitigate these impacts through our Miami office, which is our international arm in the United States, so that we can also have representation in these sectors, seeking to raise awareness among the local North American business community and our commercial partners", stated the manager, considering that dependence on the American market varies from 20% to 50% depending on the industrial sector.
Complementing the strategy, the president of ApexBrasil, Laudemir Müller, highlighted to CNN that the agency has been doing its usual work, but "with more intensity" given the circumstances, to support companies and private entities to understand the complexity of restrictive measures.
In recent weeks, Apex carried out internal activities with Brazilian partner companies that export to the United States to detail the impacts and legal deadlines for manifestation.
"Tariff increases are not good for Brazilian companies, but they are also not good for American companies", said Müller.
The president of the agency explains that the American legal process allows two spaces for defense: forwarding written documentation and registering to have a voice in public hearings.
ApexBrasil has provided technical support and prepared position documents for sectors that wish to express themselves. Müller clarified, however, that the official dialogue and the voice of the Brazilian State are the responsibility of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (Mdic) and the federal government, with the agency being responsible for commercial intelligence support.
Alternative route and global diversification
In parallel with the clash on North American soil, ApexBrasil accelerates a robust market diversification plan to reduce the exposure of Brazilian industry to Washington.
According to data presented by Laudemir Müller, the effort has yielded substantial results: of the two thousand exporting companies that have the USA as an important destination, 72% were able to open new international fronts and export to markets they previously did not access.
Mariele Christ pointed out that Southeast Asia and Europe emerge as the main alternative shipping routes for manufactured goods.
The manager highlighted that the entry into force of the trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union opens up a horizon of countless beneficial tariff possibilities that can absorb the Brazilian trade flow that is currently at risk in North America.
As part of the tightening of the Brazilian strategy against Donald Trump's protectionism, which jumped in 2025, ApexBrasil expanded its physical presence in the United States with the opening, last year, of a new office in Washington, the country's political capital.
The new structure adds to existing units - such as the one in Miami - and has as its central focus the direct fight against tariffs and the monitoring of the White House's foreign trade policies.
The installation in the North American capital aims to strengthen technical and political dialogue directly at the center of regulatory decisions, strengthening legal and institutional support for Brazilian companies during the public consultation window that ends in July.
Source: CNN