NEW YORK, August 29. /TASS/. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has authorized the start of the process of taking countermeasures to the 50% tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trunp, Bloomberg reported citing Vice President of the Republic Geraldo Alckmin.

"I hope this helps accelerate dialogue and negotiation," Alckmin said.

A source familiar with the matter told Bloomberg that the Brazilian authorities will formally notify the US government of their decision on Friday.

According to Bloomberg, Brazil’s Chamber of Foreign Trade now has as many as 30 days to analyze the US measures and determine whether they fall under the reciprocity law passed by Congress earlier this year. If the decision is positive, a group of ministers will develop a list of countermeasures.

Earlier, Trump imposed tariffs of 50% on a number of Brazilian goods, including meat and coffee products. However, Washington decided not to impose tariffs on Brazilian cellulose, aircraft components, rare earth metals and orange juice.

The Brazilian leader promised a tit-for-tat response, but later expressed hope that the country's delegation headed by the vice president would be able to achieve a revision of the duties through negotiations.

On April 11, Lula da Silva signed the Law on Economic Reciprocity. It applies to countries that impose unilateral trade measures against Brazil. The law, in particular, establishes "criteria for the suspension of commercial concessions, investments and obligations related to intellectual property rights.".