Central America and BREXIT

During the eleven months that will pass between the beginning of the exit process from the European Union and the entry into force of the association agreement with Central America, trade relations with the United Kingdom will follow the same rules that have been in place until now.

Friday, January 10, 2020

In July 2019, the negotiations of the Association Agreement with the United Kingdom were completed, which contains the mechanism to address the preferential trade relations regulated between both parties, after the process of leaving the European Union, known as BREXIT, is completed.

See "BREXIT: Trade Agreement between Central America and the United Kingdom"

Diplomatic authorities from the United Kingdom informed that the new agreement signed between both parties will come into force from January 2021, therefore, there will be 11 months of transition in which the stability of imports and exports will be ensured.

Nicholas Wittingham, the UK ambassador to Guatemala, told Prensalibre.com, "... in this 11-month period we will continue uninterruptedly with the same rules as the rest of the nations of Europe, which will help us to have stability in the different activities, including exports."

Amador Carballido, general director of the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport), explained that "... the new agreement is very similar to the one with the EU since it was tried to do that so that those who already exported would not have problems. The aspects that will change are procedures in terms of logistics, in other words, filling out forms or which entity to submit them to, but in regulatory issues such as origin and health, they are the same."

So far Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala have ratified the Association Agreement. Honduras would be the only Central American country still working on the approval process.

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More on this topic

Guatemala Confirms Agreement with United Kingdom

November 2019

The Congress approved the Association Agreement between the United Kingdom and Central America, which aims to protect trade relations between the two economies within the framework of the Brexit process.

In the Ordinary Session held on November 27, Decree 11-2019 was approved, with which the Agreement establishing an Association between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Central America is approved, informed the Congress.

Agreement with United Kingdom: Tension Persists in Guatemala

November 2019

Since Congress has not yet ratified the Association Agreement, the exporters' union warns that they will lose the opportunity to sell to that European market on an equal basis with their Central American neighbors.

As part of the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, Central American countries must ratify the Association Agreement so as not to disrupt trade relations with British companies.

Costa Rica Approves Agreement with United Kingdom

October 2019

The Costa Rican National Assembly approved the Association Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Central America, which protects commercial relations between both economies within the framework of the Brexit process.

Approval of the "Agreement Establishing an Association between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Central America" was approved in the second debate, the Legislative Assembly reported last October 28.

Panama Confirms Agreement with United Kingdom

October 2019

The Panamanian National Assembly ratified the Association Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Central America, which aims to safeguard trade relations for the Brexit process.

Project 154, which was approved on October 28, essentially preserves the rights acquired by both parties and does not change the set of rights and obligations acquired by the Republic of Panama.

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