The federal government is expected to begin this Tuesday (21) a series of meetings with representatives of sectors that are potentially impacted by the 25% tariff announced last week by the United States on Brazilian products. The objective of the meetings is to identify the main demands of each segment and define support measures. The coordination of the meetings will be the responsibility of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC). The vice-president, Geraldo Alckmin, and the Minister of Finance, Dario Durigan, are expected to participate in the meetings. The Sovereign Brazil Plan, created last year in response to the first tariffs imposed by the United States, will be expanded to serve the sectors affected by the new measure. USA confirms new 25% tariff on Brazilian products Last week, Durigan stated that the government already has instruments to protect companies and jobs from the impacts of the measure. "We already have the mechanisms to protect our companies and our jobs ready. Therefore, with the coordination of Minister Márcio Elias Rosa, the affected sectors will once again be called to dialogue and we will expand and reinforce the Sovereign Brazil Plan, which provides support to those who were unfairly affected by the United States' tariffs", he said. Despite the expected impacts on some segments of the economy, Durigan assessed that the Donald Trump government's decision should not compromise the country's economic activity as a whole. The government calculates that 18% of Brazilian exports to the United States will be affected by the new tariff imposed by the Donald Trump administration against products from Brazil. READ ALSO: Trump tariff: see the list of products that were exempt and those that will be impacted by the new tax Understand the case Last week, the United States government confirmed the application of a new 25% tariff on Brazilian products after concluding a trade investigation conducted by the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR). ?The measure was adopted based on Section 301 of the 1974 Trade Act, a mechanism used by the American government to investigate practices considered harmful to the country's trade. Despite the new fee, an extensive list of products was excluded from the surcharge. The Brazilian government reacted by stating that the measure had no economic justification and was motivated by political reasons. In a statement, the Lula government classified the decision as a "regrettable milestone" in the bilateral relationship and stated that it could resort to the Economic Reciprocity Law. The tariff begins to be applied this Wednesday (22). Cargo transport operation in port Bruno Leão/ Sedecti Progress of negotiations According to the assessment of Brazilian negotiators involved in the conversations, when negotiations effectively began last year — after the Lula and Trump meeting in Malaysia — it was possible to make progress with the American government. However, from mid-May and June, White House representatives began to appear “inflexible”, presenting “non-negotiable” issues for Brazil, such as changes to the PIX and legislation on critical minerals. Furthermore, according to members of Brazilian diplomacy, the data presented on deforestation, for example, was disregarded, without counterproposals or indications from the Americans. Around ten days before the announcement, there was a technical meeting between negotiators from both countries, and Brazil presented a proposal for forwarding the six points raised by the USTR at the opening of the trade investigation, but received no response. Due to the deadline given by the American government, and the signal that the Brazilian arguments would be rejected, a possible postponement of the tariff came to be considered “unlikely” by the Brazilian government. Even so, President Lula's aides began trying to contact Donald Trump's interlocutors to try a final round of negotiations. On the eve of the deadline for the USA to decide on the new rates, members of the two countries met and Brazil said that the tariff was "unfair". According to ministers, President Lula's order was that Brazil not leave the negotiating table and not let ideology contaminate the conversations. The Brazilian government's assessment was that the USTR's decision to recommend the tariffs was political and ideological. The United States is Brazil's second largest trading partner. According to the government, of the 10 best-selling American products in Brazil, eight enter without tariffs. Furthermore, according to vice-president Geraldo Alckmin, the average tariff applied to the main products of American origin has an average tariff of 3%. In view of this, Alckmin went on to say that the American tariff does not make "sense".