No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeArchiveNegotiations with Europe To Begin in June

Negotiations with Europe To Begin in June

Central America and the European Union will begin negotiating an association agreement, which would include a freetrade agreement and increased political cooperation, in Brussels, Belgium, in June.

The decision was announced this week at a meeting between representatives of the two regions in Guatemala, according to Costa Rica’s Foreign Trade Ministry.

After months of controversy, the Presidents of Central America announced that each country will have its own negotiator for the negotiations, and they’ll take turns selecting the regional representative at each round of talks. That decision was a victory of sorts for President Oscar Arias, who insisted that Costa Rica should have its own negotiator, instead of relying on one regional negotiator (TT, Dec. 26, 2006).

The Costa Rican delegation in Brussels will be headed by Foreign Vice-Minister Edgar Ugalde, Foreign Trade Vice-Minister Amparo Pacheco and Costa Rica’s chief negotiator Roberto Echandi, who was involved in negotiations for the controversial Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA).

Plans for negotiations moved forward Monday after the European Commission approved the guidelines for negotiations.

Costa Rican business leaders are now being invited to voice their opinions on the association agreement during a process of “internal consulting.” The idea is to develop a “solid and articulated national position” before negotiations begin, President Arias said in a statement.

 

Trending Now

Costa Rica Surf Film Festival Honors ‘Pura Vida Bodysurfing’ with Top Audience Award

Pura Vida Bodysurfing is an award-winning short film that strips surfing back to its essence—riding waves without a surfboard. Filmed across Costa Rica’s legendary...

Costa Rica Court Moves to Lift President Chaves’ Immunity

Costa Rica’s Supreme Court of Justice on Tuesday asked Congress — for the first time in the history of this country with a well-established...

Life After MS-13 in El Salvador as Residents Seek a Fragile Peace

Esperanza Martinez lost three relatives who were murdered and saw numerous bodies left in the streets of her neighborhood, a former stronghold of the...

El Salvador Slams Paris Fashion Show Inspired by Cecot Mega-Prison Inmates

The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, joked on Saturday that he could send inmates from his mega-prison to France, after they were represented...

Chiquita Brands Leaves Panama Amid Protests, Talks Underway to Resume

Laid-off workers from the U.S.-based banana company Chiquita Brands said on Monday that they are hoping for the company’s return to Panama, after it...

Costa Rica Introduces New ₡500 Coin: Old One No Longer Valid

Visitors to Costa Rica this month should be aware of an important change to the country’s currency. As of Tuesday, July 1, the old...
Avatar
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
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