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Costa Rican Unions Condition FTA
with Europe
Trade union leaders on Wednesday
said that that they will support
the Association Treaty with the
European Union for a Free Trade
Agreement (FTA), but ruled out
any similarity with US-sponsored
accords.
Jorge Arguedas, coordinator of
the Internal Front of Workers of
Instituto Costarricense de
Electricidad (ICE), pointed out
that in the negotiations with
that country, "they gave away
our entire patrimony, reflected
in natural resources and in
biodiversity".
Arguedas told local reporters
that the European Union "has
struggled to preserve internal
assistance and subsidies to its
agricultural producers, which
places us in great disadvantage
within the framework of the
World Trade Organization".
For his part, Edgar Morales, of
the National Association of
Public Servants, recalled how
"Social Democracy was given away
during the negotiations with the
United States".
This time, the agreements that
jeopardize Costa Rican democracy
and sovereignty will not be
approved, he stressed.
In that regard, he called the
government to "defend the
interests and sovereignty of the
peoples as MERCOSUR´s member
countries do".
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