During the first eight months of the year, the Central American country generated $600 million in sales to Eurozone countries, 4% more than reported in the same period of 2017.
According to figures from the Bank of Guatemala, the Netherlands is the destination of Guatemalan exports that showed the greatest dynamism between January and August, with sales of $235 million, an increase of 14% over what was reported in 2017.
Sauces and preparations, flavorings for food, fruit preserves, animal feed and cleaning products are some of the goods where there are opportunities in the Finnish market.
From the study "General Mapping of Finland", prepared by Procomer Costa Rica:
Finland is the 13th economy of the European Union (GDP $251.176 mm, 2016, 5 times that of CR).It is recognized as the 3rd least corrupt state in the world, for its highly educated population (100% literacy) and also is highlighted in various indexes related to competitiveness, and innovation among other things.
Almost $100 million is the export value of the over 500 species and three thousand varieties of ornamental plants, cut flowers and foliage shipped in 2015.
Of the total production of flowers, ornamental plants and foliage,80% goes to the international market, while the remaining 20% is sold locally.In 2015 salesabroad totaled $95.3 million, and between January and August this year the figure has already exceeded $70 million.
The high demands for quality standards, traceability and safety constitute a barrier to making the most out of the Agreement.
In the view of representatives from the Nicaraguan export sector, it has not been possible to make the most out of the association agreement with the European Union in its first two years, due to, among other things, unfavorable international prices, as has been the case of products such as sugar, coffee , cocoa, oil and alcohol.
Between January and October 2014 the South American country exported 18% more fresh fruits to the European Union, as a result of the tariff benefits arising from the agreement.
From a statement issued by the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promotion Office (Procomer):
The tariff benefits coming from the Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and the European Union (EU) are promoting new exports, said ProColombia.
Holland was the country that bought the most goods sold by Guatemala to the European Union between January and September, which totaled $684.76 million, 17% more than in the same period in 2013.
The goods most exported to the European Union (EU) are textiles, nickel, vegetables and coffee, with the main destinations being the Netherlands which recorded purchases of $219 million, followed by Belgium with $86 million, Germany with $79.5 million and Spain with $78.6 in the first nine months of the year.
Free training will be given on how to complete the Verification of Origin Questionnaire and EUR-1 Movement Certificate for exporting to the EU.
From a press release issued by the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport):
In order to provide an information service to exporters regarding the Origin Verification Questionnaire and EUR-1 Movement Certificate, through the medium of SEADEX WEB, the Single Window for Export, VUPE, at AGEXPORT, free training sessions will be given on days 9, 15 and 22 of January 2014, for companies exporting to the EU so that they can enrich their knowledge about filling in the questionnaire.
The elimination of tariffs on agricultural products and flexible rules of origin for products such as tuna, textiles and plastics are part of the changes incorporated in the Agreement.
The Minister of Economy, Sergio de la Torre said that in the next few years Guatemala's exports to Europe could be doubled, as has happened with the other trade agreements that the Central American nation has signed.
Exporting firms will be helped in the processes to be followed for export to Europe under the AA agreement.
From a press release issued by the Ministry of Economy of Guatemala (Mineco):
As provided for in the Association Agreement with the European Union- AA - , the governments of the member countries are responsible for preserving the origin of the products exported, for this reason the Ministry of Economy, through the Directorate of Foreign Trade Administration - DACE - has created a streamlined and efficient mechanism to support Guatemalan exporters wishing to ship products to the European - EU, as well as supporting them with training on obtaining EUR.1 circulation certificates.
The Council of the European Union has approved Guatemala's application to the trade pillar of the Association Agreement with Central America.
From a press release by the Government of Panama:
The Council of the European Union met today at its headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and confirmed the implementation of the Trade pillar of the Association Agreement between this institution and Guatemala starting December 1st.
Technical assistance and training will be provided for the public institutions who will be involved in the implementation of the agreement.
"AA-Integration Project" will take place in a period of 80 months with a $11.6 million investment, of which $9.1 million will be provided by the European Union and the rest by the Guatemalan government.
The project will be implemented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Guatemala.
Small and medium enterprises in the region, especially in the food sector, have great opportunities to export to the European market.
This was explained by Ingrid Figueroa, director of the Regional Center for the Promotion of MSMEs (Cenpromype), an agency of the Central American Integration System (SICA).
Aspects such as quality, standards, certifications and seals of approval are elements that European consumers evaluate before acquiring goods that are produced in the region, therefore this must be made known to the producers. "For a small company that has not met the requirements of the European market it can be a complex issue," she said.
Nicaragua is able to sell 10,163 metric tons duty free to the EU.
Altogether, the Central America's total export quota adds up to 150,000 tons.
Mario Salaverria, president of the Sugar Association of El Salvador said the decision to sell the sugar was due to "uncertainty about the problem they had with Italy and that delivery times won't allow them to make the most of this access."
With the entry into force of the Association Agreement with the EU exporters will find consumers who demand quality in products and services but at a lower price.
When negotiations began on the trade agreement in 2008, its reference point was the stability that existed at that time on the continent. However, after the economic crisis hit Europe, the outlook now is different.
In the remainder of the year Nicaragua will only take advantage of 30% of the eight million pieces of textiles that the EU has assigned it, meaning that sales will be worth just $2 million.
Dean Garcia, executive director of the Nicaraguan Association of the Textile and Apparel Industry, explained that with one quarter of the year left it will be difficult for Nicaraguan firms to find new European customers.