RIO DE JANEIRO, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Brazil on Friday enacted an agreement designed to streamline trade with other members of the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) trade bloc, including Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The Mercosur Trade Facilitation Agreement makes trade between bloc members easier and faster by promoting standardized procedures, electronic documentation, simplified customs rules, greater regulatory transparency, and strengthened cooperation between border authorities.

Measures outlined in the agreement aim to expedite the clearance of goods through customs, especially perishable products, and promote the Single Window for Foreign Trade, a digital platform for submitting documents, such as certificates of origin and sanitary certificates.

According to the Brazilian government, the agreement will cut costs and processing times for trade operations, and offer greater legal certainty to exporters and importers, especially micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

Any future revisions to the agreement or additional financial commitments will continue to be subject to the approval of Brazil's National Congress, the government said.

The decree was published in the Government Gazette and signed by Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, serving as acting president during President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's trip to the United States.

Mercosur members signed the agreement in December 2019 and the document was later approved by the Brazilian legislature in September 2023. ■