🛡️ Trade war gambit

Good morning! According to Portugal’s latest internal security report, 1,470 Brazilians were denied entry to the country during 2024 amid a tightening in immigration rules for citizens of Portuguese-speaking countries. Just 179 Brazilians had been turned away in 2023. 

Brazil arms itself for trade war

Sometime today, the Donald Trump administration in the US is set to announce a raft of new “reciprocal tariffs,” a part of what the American president has called “Liberation Day.” 

Driving the news. A day before the US unveils its tariff plan, the Brazilian Senate passed sweeping new legislation giving the government broad powers to retaliate against trade barriers — including suspending intellectual property rights. Lawmakers have treated it as Brazil’s boldest move in decades to protect its exporters.

👉 Why it matters. Brazil said it would take trade war matters to the World Trade Organization. However, with the WTO increasingly sidelined, the country is opting for self-defense.

Congress. The Senate fast-tracked the so-called “Retaliation Bill” in a unanimous vote in the Economic Affairs Committee that featured the unlikely alliance of pro-Lula and pro-agro lawmakers. The House wants to approve the bill later today, allowing Brazil to:

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