Brazil is trying to avoid the mistakes it made in the early 1990s during negotiations with the U.S. and European countries.
Brazil feels that it made far too many concessions and lost potential trade benefits.
Brazil's Foreign Minister, Celso Lafer, has issued orders requiring Brazil's newest diplomats to extend their studies in the areas of economics and trade negotiations. Brazil has one of the world's largest economies but international trade comprises a small part of its economic activity. Brazil's industries are trying to become more competitive in terms of exports. There are also a number of trade issues, such as the dispute with Canada over subsidies to Brazil's top export, regional passenger jets made by Empresa Brasileira Aeronautica SA, and patent protection issues with the U.S., that will require Brazil's diplomats to become more knowledgeable in the area of free-trade negotiations. Brazil may have been somewhat complacent in the past, allowing developed nations to determine the rules of trade, but that has changed.