A convers o do nível tarifário brasileiro de exce o de lácteos em Tarifa Externa Comum do Mercosul (TEC): uma avalia o

The aim of this article is to analyze the relationship between foreign policy and domestic policy, through an assessment of the Brazilian plea for change of Mercosur’s Common External Tariff (CET) of dairy products. Since 1995, Brazil has adopted an exception tariff level for a set of tariff items of milk and dairy products. In total, currently there are 11 tariff codes of dairy products in the Brazilian List of Exceptions to the CET, with a tariff level of 27%, in contrast with a CET established between 14% and 16%. The analysis that is done is that such tariff level that is applied by Brazil has been presenting itself as being an equilibrium level, which, combined with a set of public policies, has been enabling the development of the sector, with important results along the past years. In this sense, and taking into account that the extinction of the National Lists of Exceptions to the CET is defined by a Mercosur decision, we evaluate as relevant that the country undertake efforts for consolidating the tariff level that it has been practicing (so far, as an exception measure) as the level of the Common External Tariff of the regional bloc.