Fernando Meirelles de Azevedo Pimentel

Fernando Meirelles de Azevedo Pimentel studied economics at the University of São Paulo and entered the Brazilian foreign service in the 1990s. He served at the embassies in Washington, New Delhi, and Asunción, and worked on international affairs in the Finance Ministry. ¹

As director of trade policy, Pimentel testified before the Senate’s environment committee in May 2024 about European deforestation rules and other measures affecting Brazilian exports. He argued for carefully targeted responses, warning that retaliation could also harm Brazilian producers. He described discussions with European officials over using Brazilian satellite data to demonstrate compliance, and supported a combination of technical work, negotiation, and possible legal action. ²

He directed the Foreign Ministry’s multilateral economic organizations department and then its trade policy department. At his 2025 Senate hearing for the South Korea ambassadorship, he emphasized agricultural exports and negotiations with Korean sanitary authorities. The reporting senator credited his contribution to Brazil’s economic reciprocity legislation. ¹