|
CENTRAL
AMERICA |
Colombia and Panama Begin
Trade Talks
Panama and Colombia officially began
negotiations Monday over the terms of a
proposed free trade agreement (FTA) planned
for later this year. According to Colombia's
Ministry of Trade and Industry, the first
round of negotiations will take place in
Panama City between March 15 and 19, and the
second round is scheduled for Bogota between
April 12 and 16.
The details of the third and final round
will be determined once the outcome of the
first two rounds have been established,
reported Colombian press.
The two countries in February signed a
document laying out a framework for
discussion, outlining 24 specific areas of
interest, among them market access, rules
and procedures regarding origin, customs
administration, trade facilitation, and
sanitation measures.
The agreement will also include
specifications on government spending,
investment, labor and the environment.
Colombia is one of the main users of the
Zona Libre de Colon, a trade channel in the
Panamanian Caribbean, and according to
Panama's Trade Ministry, $1.3 million of
goods are re-exported annually by the
country. Colombia's exports to Panama in
2008 totaled some $273 million. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
