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CLIPPING INTERNACIONAL NEGINT Brasília, 20 de abril de 2018

Índice I. OMC _______________________________________________ 2 U.S. to talk Section 232 tariffs with India, EU at WTO ___________________ 2 II. NEGOCIAÇÕES REGIONAIS E BILATERAIS _________________ 3 EU, Singapore a step closer to signing free trade agreement ______________ 3 New Europe: EU clears landmark trade agreement with Japan ____________ 3 III. OUTROS ____________________________________________ 5 Estudio privado estimó que la actividad industrial creció 4,2% en marzo ____ 5 Protectionism is short-term and we don't like that, Brazil's finance chief says _ 6 Brazil anti-corruption judge embraced by party, eyeing presidential race ____ 7

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I. OMC U.S. to talk Section 232 tariffs with India, EU at WTO World Trade Online (Estados Unidos) The United States has agreed to enter into separate consultations with India and the European Union at the World Trade Organization over its Section 232 national security tariffs on steel and aluminum, although it does not believe there is a legitimate justification for consultations to be held. The EU and India requested consultations with the U.S. under Article 12.3 of the Safeguards Agreement this week, and on April 18, the U.S. told both WTO members it is open to discussing the 10 percent tariff on aluminum and 25 percent tariff on steel, but not under the Safeguards Agreement. Earlier this week the U.S. told China it was open to the same consultation arrangement. “These actions are not safeguard measures, and therefore, there is no basis to conduct consultations under the Agreement on Safeguards with respect to these measures,” the U.S. said in nearly identical communications sent to all three WTO members this week. “Nonetheless, we are open to discuss this or any other issue with India. Any discussions regarding the Proclamations would not be under the Agreement on Safeguards and would be without prejudice to our view that the Proclamations are not safeguard measures,” the U.S. said.

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II. NEGOCIAÇÕES REGIONAIS E BILATERAIS EU, Singapore a step closer to signing free trade agreement The Business Times (Singapura) IN the first step towards signing and concluding the European Union-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (EUSFTA), the European Commission has presented the outcome of the negotiations to the European Council.

New Europe: EU clears landmark trade agreement with Japan Focus (Bulgária) Cheaper Japanese cars and European cheese are on the way as the EU’s trade agreement after the European Commission announced on April 18 that it had cleared the way for an Economic Partnership Agreement with Tokyo, New Europe reports. The two sides have agreed on the final details of the agreement, according to EU Trade Commission Commissioner Cecilia Malmström, who appeared outwardly pleased that the bloc managed to negotiate its largest-ever trade agreement with the world’s third-largest economy. “Japan is one of the largest economies in the world. Together, the EU and Japan have 600 million people and one third of the world’s gross domestic product. This agreement is extremely important for both sides,” said Malmström. ”It will be cheaper to trade Japanese products…for European companies, it will be easier to export to the Japanese market because custom fees will no longer apply.” EU Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen pointed to the benefits the agreement will grant to Finnish consumers and businesses as Japanese cars will be cheaper in the long term, while the Finnish forest industry can get a boost by being allowed into the lucrative Japanese market.

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“For the forest industry, it is now easier to export wood products to Japan,” Katainen said from the European Parliament in the French city of Strasbourg, where this month’s plenary is taking place. The agreement will eliminate or sharply reduce duties on agricultural products in which the EU has a major export interest by ensuring duty-free trade with processed pork meat – the EU’s main agricultural export to Japan – and almost duty-free trade for fresh pork meat exports. Tariffs on beef will be cut from 38.5% to 9% over 15 years for a significant volume of beef products. The tariffs on wine (presently at 15%) will be scrapped from day one, as will tariffs for other alcoholic drinks. Europe’s highly profitable cheese exporting industry, which is already the top seller of cheese products on the Japanese market, will see the crippling duties on many hard cheeses such as Gouda and Cheddar (which currently are at 29.8%) eliminated and a duty-free quota will be established for fresh cheeses such as Mozzarella. The EU-Japan agreement will also scrap today’s customs duties for processed agricultural products such as pasta, chocolates, cocoa powder, candies, confectionary, biscuits, starch derivatives, prepared tomatoes, and tomato sauce. There will also be significant quotas for EU exports – either duty-free or with reduced duties – for malt, potato starch, skimmed milk powder, butter, and whey. The EU-Japan agreement also recognises the special status and offers protection on the Japanese market to more than 200 Geographical Indications (GIs) products. These products will be given the same level of protection in Japan as they currently have in Europe. According to the Commission, the EU-Japan agreement can come into force at the end of the year as the political will exists from both parties. “If there are no complications and if the Japanese Parliament also gives the green light, the agreement can come into force at the end of the year or at the beginning of next year,” said Malmstrom. Now the agreement text is complete and must be approved by EU countries and the European Parliament. The time, however, the EU-Japan agreement will not have to be endorsed by national parliaments, on a bid to avoid obstacles that were met during the

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EU-Canada CETA agreement ratification, when the Walloon Parliament in Belgium raised objections at the very last minute, causing great delays to the overall process.

III. OUTROS Estudio privado estimó que la actividad industrial creció 4,2% en marzo Info BAE (Argentina) El índice de producción industrial de la consultora Orlando Ferreres y Asociados registró en marzo el tercer incremento consecutivo, tanto en comparación con el mes anterior, como respecto de un año antes. La aceleración del ritmo fabril superó en 2,4% lo esperable por la estacionalidad, pese a que en febrero había cerrado con una leve mejora nominal sobre el nivel de enero, pese a contar con menor cantidad de días hábiles, en contraste con el desempeño de un año antes. Mientras que cotejado con un año antes cuando anotó una suba de 4,2%, más de una vez y media la modesta recuperación que había acusado en marzo de 2017. La principal diferencia con entonces es que ahora Brasil parece afirmar la etapa de reactivación, luego de una larga recesión previa. De ahí que los rubros que sobresalieron en el impulso que adquirió la actividad industrial fueran metálica básica y máquinas y equipos, con 19,6% y 17,8%, al comenzar a moverse las exportaciones de automotores y sus partes al mayor socio en el Mercosur. Muy buen primer cuarto de año "El primer trimestre del año resultó positivo para la industria manufacturera en su conjunto, aunque el desarrollo no resultó homogéneo entre los distintos sectores productivos", alertaron los economistas del estudio privado.

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Entre las variaciones positivas se sumaron la ya clásica producción de materiales vinculados con la construcción, como cemento, productos plásticos y pinturas. Pero también se agregaron la elaboración de papel y medicamentos. Por el contrario, se mantuvo en la senda recesiva la elaboración de alimentos, con 10% de contracción, pese a que el Indec anotó aumento del consumo; mientras que subieron mucho menos que el promedio la actividad del conjunto de las refinerías, bebidas y tabajo y disminuyó levemente la actividad de las empresas textiles. Firmeza de la onda expansiva "Las perspectivas para los próximos meses son buenas", observan los economistas del estudio Ferreres. Basan su predicción en que "se espera que los dos sectores que están impulsando el crecimiento continúen en expansión, a la vez que el contexto internacional resulta favorable, en especial al considerar el rebrote económico que se está produciendo en Brasil".

Protectionism is short-term and we don't like that, Brazil's finance chief says CNBC (Estados Unidos) Even if protectionism brings some short-term gains, Brazil is against it and is instead looking to boost its trade ties across the world, the country's finance minister told CNBC on Thursday. "Although we could even benefit from one specific situation what we, for us, for an economy like Brazil, who wants to have more commercial relationship(s) with the rest of the world, protectionism is not something that we like," Eduardo Guardia, told CNBC's Joumanna Bercetche.

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Speaking at the World Bank/International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings 2018 conference in Washington, he added: "Brazil wants to become a more open economy so we have to export more and import more, we have to increase our chain of commerce with the rest of the world, so for us, we think having obstacles or barriers for having free trade is not the best way." At a time of rising tensions in global trade, Brazil is confident that free trade is the best path to economic growth despite potentially benefiting from the recently imposed U.S. tariffs on Chinese products. This is because after the U.S. imposed about $60 billion in tariffs against China, the latter threatened to raise duties on U.S. soya beans. Given that Brazil is a key exporter of soya beans, it could see its exports to China increasing. Brazilian election will bring volatility Brazil will elect a new government in October, at a time when several scandals have affected the image of many politicians. One of the main contenders, Lula da Silva, is currently in jail on corruption charges, although he denies any wrongdoing. Guardia told CNBC that the vote will bring some uncertainty, but the country remains committed to reforming its economy. "This (election) can bring more volatility to the markets but my message is that Brazil is very well prepared to deal with this scenario," he said. "We have strong international reserves, inflation under control and we are moving in the right direction with the right policies."

Brazil anti-corruption judge embraced by party, eyeing presidential race Reuters (Reino Unido) Top members of the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) gushed on Thursday over their newest member, potential presidential candidate and former Supreme Court Justice Joaquim Barbosa, whose debut in a national poll stoked hopes for his potential. 7

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Barbosa received 9.0 percent of voter support in the first poll since he joined the party just two weeks ago, making him one of the top four potential candidates despite his lack of political experience. The first and only black member of the high court, Barbosa became a household name in Brazil for his handling of a major political corruption trial in 2012, an issue that stands well with an electorate eager for honest leaders who will continue the country’s unprecedented fight against graft. While party President Carlos Siqueira stopped short of calling him the PSB candidate in the presidential race, he said the party was betting he would accept such a nomination. “We need to get to know Barbosa better,” Siqueira told reporters after an election strategy meeting attended by the judge turned politician. Barbosa was a perfect match because he was left-of-center like the party, he said. The party has until Aug. 15 to nominate its candidate in a convention for the Oct. 7 election. Siqueira said Barbosa’s support in the poll, despite only publicly signaling he was considering a run two weeks before the survey was conducted, reflected the anger of Brazilian voters with the country’s corrupt political class. “I still have not convinced myself that I should be a candidate. I have serious doubts,” Barbosa told reporters. He said his family opposed him making a presidential bid. Barbosa, the son of a bricklayer, has never run for office but is widely admired for heading a high-profile trial over vote-buying that led to the imprisonment of three top aides to former leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. PSB officials said Barbosa could pick up many of the votes of Brazilians who will abandon Lula’s Workers Party due to his corruption conviction and imprisonment.

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