The Foreign Trade Chamber (CAMEX) at the Ministry of Economy incorporated, to the Brazilian regulatory framework on foreign trade, the establishment of a Mercosur management system for import quotas granted by the bloc through trade agreements with third-party countries.
The Foreign Trade Chamber (CAMEX) at the Ministry of Economy, through GECEX Resolution n.º 240/2021, incorporated Mercosur GMC Resolution n.º 46/2020 to the Brazilian regulatory framework on foreign trade. It intends to establish the Import Quotas Administration and Control System (SACIM), a regional-level body designed to oversee the registration of Mercosur import quotas – jointly granted by Mercosur members, through trade agreements, to third-party countries or regional blocs.
The registration of annual Mercosur import quotas through SACIM’s electronic system will be carried out in chronological order (of each request) on a “first come, first serve” basis. The establishment of the regional body and management system aims at improving the efficiency of Mercosur import quotas, seeking full usage of available quotas (e.g., mandating the return of quota licenses after 60 days of non-usage). It also intends to improve the transparency of the granting process, through the regular publication of quotas’ status of usage and availability.
The new GECEX resolution fully internalized the dispositions of the GMC resolution and designated the Special Secretariat for Foreign Trade and International Affairs (SECINT) at the Ministry of Economy as the Brazilian focal point for the SACIM. However, the new management system is not yet in force, pending the internalization of the GMC Resolution from Argentina and Paraguay (as of September 2021).
