No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveFree-Trade Agreement Negotiations Stagnate

Free-Trade Agreement Negotiations Stagnate

TEGUCIGALPA (AFP) – Negotiations for a free-trade agreement between El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Canada came to a stalemate at the last meeting in Ottawa on Friday, Honduran officials announced Wednesday.

“There were no important results in the last meeting, rather, it gave the impression it had stagnated,” said Honduran Chief Negotiator Melvin Redondo.

He described the last three years of talks as “poor” and said Canada took a rigid stance at the last meeting.

FOR example, the negotiator said, Canada demanded agricultural quotas similar to those that the Central American countries gave to the United States in the Central American Free-Trade Agreement (CAFTA). But Honduras established those quotas based on the demand from the Honduran market.

“If we gave Canada the same quota we would be hurting our national producers,”Redondo said.

Honduran Minister of Industry and Commerce, Norman García, said the Canadian proposal is “not attractive.”

“THE Canadians are practically saying: allow 80% of what we send there to enter free of tariffs and 20% of what you send will enter without tariffs,” García said.

The next meeting – the eleventh since negotiations began three years ago – will probably take place in June in Guatemala, Redondo said.

Costa Rica has had a free-trade agreement with Canada since 2002 and is the only Central American country to have one.

 

Trending Now

Heavy Rains in Costa Rica Cause Severe Flooding

Costa Rica faces another tough week as persistent heavy rains pound our country, leading to widespread flooding, landslides, and disrupted lives. This October, the...

Marriott Expands in Costa Rica with Adventure-Focused Hotel

Marriott is set to grow its footprint in Costa Rica by opening a new hotel in the Central Pacific area next year. The Santa...

From Costa Rica to the US an Expat Longing For Home

There are close to 200,000 people of Tico origin presently living in the US. I have spent the past month in an area where...

Costa Rica’s Rincón de la Vieja Volcano Experiences Moderate Eruption

Guanacaste residents woke up to activity from Rincón de la Vieja volcano yesterday morning. The volcano produced a moderate phreatic eruption at 6:08 a.m....

Costa Rica’s Guanacaste Makes Forbes’ Best Places to Visit in 2026

Forbes has spotlighted Guanacaste as one of the top six spots for travelers in 2026. The list also includes Nikko in Japan, Kona in...

Costa Rica National Stadium Renamed INS Estadio in Historic Deal

The National Stadium, a key landmark in La Sabana Metropolitan Park, now carries a new title after a sponsorship agreement. Yesterday, the venue officially...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica