CAFTA-DR
in Central America
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Local Unions and those of the U.S. have filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor for breach of the rules established under DR-CAFTA.
The U.S. Department of Labor has agreed to review a union complaint against the government of Tegucigalpa for breach of labor laws under the free trade agreement DR-CAFTA, according to an official announcement released today.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Nicaragua now has a surplus of $1 billion and trade with the country has grown by 75% in six years, thanks to the DR-CAFTA, overtaking Guatemala and the rest of the region.
Six years after coming into force and following record levels of growth in trade and investment, Nicaragua has become the region’s unlikely poster child for DR-CAFTA.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Syndicated organizations from the U.S. and Guatemala have asked the U.S. government to initiate arbitration proceedings against the Government of Guatemala, over labor matters.
The American Federation of Labor - Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and 6 Guatemalan unions, have asked the U.S. government to open an arbitration proceeding against Guatemala for allegedly not making progress in ensuring compliance with labor rights in the country.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Guatemala is preparing a plan to inspect factories in order to avoid a possible arbitration, forced by the US, for non-compliance of labor standards under CAFTA.
The Labour Ministry is preparing a program to inspect working conditions in the textile factories which could take six months to complete. The plan must conform to the standards set by enterprises under the 29-89 scheme (Law on Promotion of Export Activity and Maquilas).
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
The Office of U.S. Trade Representatives (USTR) has given Guatemala 6 months to meet two commitments on labor issues.
Failure to comply with these provisions, included in the Free Trade Agreement, would mean the matter would proceed to arbitration.
Monday, December 12, 2011
U.S. health authorities have granted sanitary approval for ready to eat products containing beef.
A press release from the Ministry of Foreign Trade reads:
In order to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the North American Free Trade Agreement between Central America and the Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR), Costa Rica has carried out various tasks in order to be able to export traditional products with higher added value. As a result of these efforts, health authorities in the United States issued on December 5 the sanitary approval for Costa Rica, opening their market to imports of ready to eat products containing beef.
Thursday, December 8, 2011
The Ministry of Economy has announced the enrollment period for those interested in participating as 'New Importers' in 2012 within the quotas established in the FTA with the U.S.
The Ministry of Economy of El Salvador is inviting interested parties to participate as New Importers within the agricultural quotas established under the FTA with the United States for 2012. The period for submitting applications includes December 5 to December 23 this year, and these must include product description and custom codes code, amounts requested, internal Revenue solvency and declaration of unrelated persons.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
U.S. products are arriving with certificates of origin stating they are part of NAFTA, the trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico, which means that when they enter Guatemala they lose their tax privileges from the FTA with Central America.
The Guatemalan Minister of Economy, Luis Velasquez, has submitted a proposal to the Council of Ministers of Economy of Central America (Comieco) which aims to add an amendment to DR-CAFTA on error correction mechanisms.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Between January and May sales grew by 25% compared to the same period in 2010.
The rise in sales to the U.S. was higher than to countries like El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala, which increased by 19%, 17% and 13% respectively in the same period.
With the 25% increase, Nicaraguan exports went up from $381.1 million to $476.7 million. This increase in production is confirmation of a growth trend that has been seen for several months.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
The government has made a committment to the E.U. to submit a reform bill and its regulations within 60 days, so as not to adversely affect the labor market.
The U.S. has complained since 2010 that the Guatemalan government has not ensured acceptable working conditions and rights of association for its workers.
"Regarding the issue, the document says: A company that wishes to be covered by Decree 29-89 should finance a fund in order to guarantee and cover the amount of compensation and other benefits that are unwaivable for workers".
Friday, June 3, 2011
The delay in granting concessions has led U.S. company DatZap to file a formal complaint.
Covered under the free trade agreement (FTA) with the U.S., the company complains of delays of more than one year in obtaining permits for satellite internet.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
The U.S. government believes that Guatemala has not taken sufficient measures to resolve problems with labour conditions.
In 2010 the U.S. censured the Guatemalan government for not ensuring acceptable work conditions nor rights of association for its workers.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
President of Cargill Meats Central America speaks of the opportunities and challenges for the sector five years on from CAFTA's implementation.
The region's poultry sector has yet to meet the sanitary requirements imposed by the US and other modifications to farms and poultry processing plants, according to Bruce Burdett, president of Cargill Meats Central America in an interview with Eduardo López García for El Financiero.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Nicaragua is one of the countries which has benefited the most from the Free Trade Agreement.
Robert Callahan, U.S. Ambassador in Nicaragua, added that the Central American country currently has a positive trade balance of $1.078 with the U.S.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
The Dominican Republic, Central America and the U.S. agreed to make adjustments in agriculture, sanitary standards, textiles and disputes.
During the meeting held in El Salvador, government representatives began the meeting by reviewing developments in trade and investment. During the period 2005 (the year immediately preceding the entry into force of CAFTA) and 2010, exports of Central America and Dominican directed to the U.S.
español
1890