Alumnus negotiates EU-Mercosul agreement
Rodrigo Serran ’14 forges opportunities for Brazilian economic growth in the EU as part of the largest trade agreement in Brazil’s history
Aug. 13, 2019 | By Rachel Hommel | GPS News
UC San Diego School of Global Policy and Strategy (GPS) alumnus Rodrigo Serran ’14 has had a busy summer at the helm of one of the most important trade agreements to date. Serran, who serves as the General Coordinator of Rules of Origin at the Undersecretariat of International Negotiations of the Foreign Trade Secretariat in Brazil, recently helped successfully close the EU-Mercosul agreement on June 28.
The EU-Mercosul agreement is the largest and most complex agreement ever negotiated by MERCOSUR, which consists of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. The trade agreement, taking almost 20 years to accomplish, encompasses a variety of themes, from market access to government procurement, as well as rules of origin and technical barriers to trade.
“Reducing barriers and providing greater legal certainty and transparency of rules will facilitate the insertion of Brazil into global value chains, generating more investment, employment and income,” said Serran. “Consumers will also benefit from the agreement, with access to a greater variety of products at competitive prices.”
Working in the Ministry of Economy in Brasília, Brasil, Serran’s focus is on trade negotiations. As the Brazilian representative in the agreement’s negotiation on Rules of Origin, Serran negotiated the criteria used to define where a product was made. This becomes important to assure trade preferences concession only for those products that are considered originating from the trade partner, in this case, the EU.

“Determining where a product comes from is no longer easy when raw materials and parts crisscross the globe,” said Serran. “Rules of origin are therefore needed to attribute one country of origin to each negotiated product. In a globalizing world, it has become even more important that a degree of harmonization is achieved.”
The EU-Mercosul agreement marks a historic milestone in the relationship between MERCOSUR and the European Union, with around 25 percent of world GDP and a market of 780 million people, Brazil being the largest. Serran had an important and active role in the discussions, keeping a commitment to economic openness and solutions that was fostered during his time at GPS.
“The teamwork with my colleagues at GPS helped me a lot, for instance, working over different points of view to find the best solutions, defining roles and splitting tasks and helping your teammates when difficulties appeared,” recalls Serran.
Serran also fondly remembers his coursework, which set the stage for his current career. These include negotiations exercises in Strategy and Negotiations with Professor Ulrike Schaede, trade theories in Economics of Trade Policy with former Professor Thomas Baranga, and Topics of International Trade with Professor Gordon Hanson, where Serran studied the Mercosul free trade agreement in his final Gravity project.
“The knowledge I acquired at GPS was very important in understanding how international trade impacts countries’ economies, and the policies that might foster them,” said Serran. “Additionally, I learned the necessary tools to critically negotiate and formulate strategies.”
A true representation of a GPS Globetrotter, Serran suggests that despite the recent protectionism spike, it is important to remember the globe will always be connected – from trade to investment to logistics. For the world, international trade will always be important.
“My advice to GPS students is to continue to believe in this idea and, as a consequence, invest your studies in all the subjects related to international relations, such as politics, economics, policy, etc.,” suggests Serran. “GPS will provide you many tools to foster your careers in these areas!”

News
- A day in the life of a NCAA Woman of the Year Honoree
- Nirupama Rao defines the future of Indo-Pacific relations
- Winter reading for the bibliophile
- Alumni nominated spotlight: Booz Allen Hamilton consultant Maura Deignan
- Leading from the front
- Center for U.S.-Mexican Studies expands research on drug war and migrant crisis
- A marriage of policy and advocacy
- Decarbonizing the grid
- Sylff Fellows translate vision into reality
- Stanford study finds poor air quality responsible for one in five infant deaths in sub‑Saharan Africa
- Office hours: Associate Professor Jennifer Burney
- Class of 2018 graduates embody global citizenry and leadership
- Science Policy Fellows program nurtures effective interdisciplinary scholars
- Building cross-border relationships
- Geoengineering a greener future
- Sponsored Student Spotlight: Adnan Saygili
- Celebrating academic excellence
- Painting the picture of an MPP student’s day
- Gregory Lee looks at the future of digital health and technology
- A sustainable seafood hero
- Pass the pen: Alumnae nominated spotlight
- Campus recognizes alumni as leaders and changemakers
- Innovation in mobile technology
- Ian Johnson chronicles the rise of religion in China
- Writing the book on China’s economic policy
- Broadening horizons through international experience at BCG
- Office hours: Professor Gordon McCord
- New evening option for working professionals
- China's infrastructure investment as a development strategy
- Rethinking the war on drugs in Mexico
- Creating theoretical frameworks
- Nurturing future leaders at TechPolis
- The future is female
- Jamal Russell Black on Veridian Analytics' entrepreneurial spirit
- Love is in the air
- A day in the life of an MCEPA student
- Health and human capital
- Eduardo Porter finds journalistic inspiration at GPS
- Technology assessment at the nexus of STEM and policy
- IGCC receives coveted UC research grant
- Battery storage at the center of energy policy
- Researching how humans and the environment interact
- Office hours: Professor Ulrike Schaede
- Fighting wildfires with web based imagery
- United we dream
- Our 2017-2018 Boren Fellows
- Applying game theory to study behaviors
- Students craft views on climate change at COP23
- Molding future technical experts
- Why GPS: A niche in life
- The art of entrepreneurship
- Solar energy and pursuing the policy dream
- Social entrepreneur and first time author Ken Davenport ’90 of “The Two Gates”
- Why GPS: Discovering a passion for all things math
- Our 2017-18 Dean’s Fellows
- A Living, Learning Laboratory
- A ‘Prep Program’ for success, before day one
- Office hours: Professor Gordon Hanson
- Adding to a truly interdisciplinary academic environment
- Why GPS: Apply now and figure it out later
- Sponsored Student Spotlight: Noritoshi Kurokawa
- West Coast-Trained for a Washington, D.C. Think Tank
- Linked in Latin America
- Facilitating a ‘family affair’
- Nico Ravanilla retreats to Oxford for research
- 2016 alumni remember their first year in the real world
- Pioneering international excellence
- Research at the border: A living laboratory of transformation