An agreement has been announced to create a system of refunds of the Import Duty Tariff, which is already working to ensure that the procedures in each border post are performed in a single office.
El Salvador has internally made progress on the process of customs integration with Honduras, which aims to establish a single post at the border crossing.
Despite the corruption scandals that tarnished the policy in Guatemala and Honduras, Honduran businessmen say the project of to unify the border posts at the end of the year is still moving forward.
Amid strikes, marches and demonstrations which have taken place in Guatemala and Honduras, working groups composed of representatives of the private sector in both countries and the government have not stopped working, as reported entrepreneurs like Maria Antonia Rivera, from the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of Cortés.
Money in the pocket for every grandstanding politician and every wannabe business consultant, logistics in Central America is a much talked about theme on which no action is actually taken.
EDITORIAL
Logistics is vital for sustainable economic development, and it is perhaps the area of business management that has made the greatest strides in the last 50 years.
The first stage of the pilot program, which began on June 1, consists of transferring the post of El Florido Guatemala, to Honduran offices in Agua Caliente.
The second phase, scheduled for December, "... involves the installation of "peripheral posts", with which border points will be removed and turned into only crossing and control points, trade will through peripheral positions.
Despite innumerable meetings of leaders and officials who frequently express their willingness to act on the issue, customs transit continues to be the main factor affecting logistics costs for regional trade.
At the first congress of freight transport in El Salvador once again the problem that continues to prevent the region achieving greater commercial development, was brought to the light.
Customs integration between Honduras and Guatemala scheduled for June is at risk due to the political turbulence unleashed by the laying bare of a tax fraud network.
One of the main problems that could occur and delay customs border integration is the current internal state of the Superintendency of Tax Administration (SAT) of Guatemala, which needs not only to regain its credibility but undergo restructuring which is bound to affect normal operation.
"It is we ourselves who are still looking ourselves as independent countries, when in fact we must work even harder on this unification."
In his article published in the magazine industry, the executive director of the Chamber of Industry of Guatemala Javier Zepeda, describes the situation which as yet has not be able to be changed: the plan for regional integration only exists on paper.
Different tariff policies from the rest of the region and inadequate infrastructure at border posts do not facilitate the country's integration into the Customs Union.
Authorities at the Customs Department claim that they have identified the aspects that need to be worked on and improved in order to achieve integration with other countries in the region.
Starting April chambers of commerce in the region will be providing free training on phytosanitary controls, management at border posts and customs procedures for exporting firms.
From a statement issued by the Chamber of Commerce of Costa Rica:
As of April, the Chamber of Commerce of Costa Rica will be running a training program on trade facilitation for the public and private sector, within the framework of a cooperation agreement signed between the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Central America (FECAMCO) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to implement the USAID Regional Project on Trade and Market Partnerships.
The agreement between the two governments states that as of December 15, 2015 customs offices at common borders will suspend their tax functions and allow the free movement of goods and people.
From a statement issued by the Government of Guatemala:
64 years after having started the process of Central American integration, the presidents of Guatemala, Otto Pérez Molina, and Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernandez, signed a historic agreement for a customs union between the two nations today, from which it is expected that economic growth of 15% will be produced in the short term. The agreement aims to eliminate the three land crossings on the borders of the two countries.
Both governments announced that they have signed an agreement to unify customs in order to expedite the transport of vehicles and people, with effect from 1 June.
With this agreement, it is expected that the border between the two nations will be fully liberated for both freight and passengers in December. Immigration procedures will be carried out online or in an office to be located near the border area.
Now is the time to fulfill the clear mandate of the Presidents of the Central American Integration System for the establishment of a Customs Union in Central America.
From a statement issued by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Central America (FECAMCO):
The Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Central America (FECAMCO) held in San José, the transfer of chairmanship of this regional entity to the Chamber of Commerce of Costa Rica for the period 2015.
It is time for transparent information to be given on which Central American governments continue to obstruct the essential unification of border formalities.
EDITORIAL
The Council of Ministers for Economic Integration (Comieco) which met in Managua on September 4 and 5 ended, as always happens in these meetings with public officials, with a statement of good intentions including promises to "work on the standardization of procedures at border posts and a regional strategy for trade facilitation," objectives which have been stated often and which up to now are far from being realised.
Businessmen are proposing that the management of customs cease to be the responsibility of the Ministry of Finance and instead be managed by a company from the private sector.
In order to streamline the procedures for customs and facilitate intraregional trade Salvadoran businessmen have prepared a series of proposals to the government, including the creation of a Customs Superintendent managed jointly by the public and private sectors.
In order to expedite intraregional trade it is necessary for customs offices dealing with cargo freight, to be open all hours, just as immigration customs offices are.
A study commissioned by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Central America (Fecamco) concluded that there are 87 barriers to trade in the region, one of the major ones being operations of the systems at customs offices at borders, followed by bureaucratic requirements and lack of adequate infrastructure.