From November 19th to 23rd, the fourth round of negotiations will take place in Panama City, where issues related to the protection of sensitive products of the Central American country will be addressed.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industry reported that in the previous three rounds of negotiations, progress has been made on intellectual property, sanitary and phytosanitary measures.
A law was approved in Panama that allows the authorities to temporarily suspend imports of agricultural products for human consumption when local production is enough to meet demand.
The Congress approved Ley 680 project, which will allow the Ministry of Development to suspend imports of agricultural products for a period of 12 months. Among the products whose importation may be suspended are meat products and fluid milk.
To correct alleged price distortions in the local market, the Panamanian government plans to regulate imports of beef from Nicaragua.
The Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA)'s plan is to establish new import rules, which will aim to correct the "distortion in the price of beef paid for the local product."
Having a minimum of five full-time permanent employees is one of the requirements that companies must meet in order to obtain a Regional Offices of Multinational Corporations license, if a bill from the Varela administration succeeds.
The bill presented by the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (Mici) to the National Assembly contemplates, among other things, the new conditions that must be met by companies seeking to obtain a license as Regional Offices of Multinational Corporations (SEM by their initials in Spanish).In addition, it details a proposed law reform, under which companies must generate annual operating expenses in the country of at least $500,000.
The Varela administration has applied a special agricultural safeguard to some porcine products imported from the United States, among which are hams, legs, shoulders and their pieces.
Arguing that up until July 16 of the current year, 3,506 metric tons of pork have entered the country, a volume that exceeds the 2,697 metric tons agreed for this year in the Trade Promotion Treaty, the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (Mici) resolved to increase the tariff on fifteen products imported from the USA.
With topics such as e-commerce and regulatory framework on the agenda, the first round of negotiations to establish a Free Trade Agreement between Panama and the Asian giant have begun in Panama City.
Authorities stated that during the first negotiations Panama will be represented by some 25 members of the Negotiating Commission of Free Trade Agreements of the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) and will also be able to count on the participation of more than 40 unions from the productive sector.
As a preliminary stage to negotiations for the signing of a Free Trade Agreement, authorities in both countries have started a feasibility study.
According to the Minister of Commerce and Industries, Augusto Arosemena Moreno, "Panama's primary interest is to boost foreign investment, mainly of added value, making Panama a distribution center for the region and boosting Panamanian exports to the Asian market."
If the request by the Panamanian Ministry of Commerce and Industries is approved, a new tax of up to 40% could be established on the dividends distributed by Colombian companies.
Coffee, wood, scrap and seafood are some of the goods negotiated by Chinese and local entrepreneurs as part of the first Asian trade mission to Panama.
In the short term, business between Chinese and Panamanians could increase in other areas, such as the agroindustrial sector, as representatives from Chinese phytosanitary control entities are expected to visit in the coming days.
Companies from the industrial and agricultural sectors are being called on to participate in business rounds with international buyers from September 13 to 15 in Panama City.
The second version of the National Congress of Exporters (Conexport), organized by the Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI), will be held at the Sheraton Hotel from September 13 to 15.
Starting in 2018, new energy efficiency standards will come into effect, which all air conditioning equipment that is sold in the country must comply with.
Panamaamerica.com.pa reports that "...Through a publication in the official newspaper La Gaceta No. 28327, the National Energy Secretariat established an efficiency schedule which new air conditioning units to be sold in the country must comply with, giving a space of 18 months for companies engaged in theactivity to have a reasonable time for the transition."
A call is being made for presentation of applications, up until July 14, for the export of new products to the Caribbean country within the framework of a renegotiation of the partial scope agreement.
The Ministry of Commerce and Industries (MICI) has opened a period for submission of applications from all sectors interested in exporting to the Dominican Republic, fulfilling the process of expanding the lists of the Partial Scope Trade Treaty that is in effect with the Caribbean country.
Raising taxes exclusively on Colombian products is one of the measures that Panama could take until Colombia starts to comply with the WTO ruling.
The Panamanian government has asked the World Trade Organization (WTO) for authorization to use trade measures against Colombia, worth $210 million, equivalent to the effects that the imposition of Colombian tariffs had on the Colon Free Zone.
The union of exporters claims that business opportunities are being lost due to the slow pace of processing and issue of permits and certificates for export.
Juan Bulnes, president of the Panamanian Association of Exporters (APEX), told Prensa.com that"...'For exporters, the National Customs Authority (ANA) and the Ministry of Health (MoH) are a thorn in their side'."
Approval has been given to exemption of import tax for a first contingent of egg cartons.
With this duty free import a solution is underway to the problem of local shortages caused by a fire in the only factory producing such packaging in the country.Panamaamerica.com.pa reports that "...Moldeados Panameños, S.A.