On April 26, Brazil will reactivate again on the agenda of the World Trade Organization, the complaint against Costa Rica for the imposition of a safeguard to increase the tariff on sugar.
Based on the willingness of Costa Rican authorities to raise the tariff on imported sugar from 45% to 73%, Brazil decided to raise the entry taxes on four animal products from Costa Rica.
Months ago, the private sector has been warning of the possibility that the country's trading partners would apply reciprocal measures because of Costa Rica's unilateral decision to raise entry taxes on imported sugar.
Following in Brazil's footsteps, Canada warned the WTO about the possibility of imposing compensation against the Costa Rican authorities' policy of raising the tariff on imported sugar from 45% to 73%.
Due to the possible change in the regulations established by the European Union on the use of agrochemicals in the production of the fruit that enters their territory, exporters in the region are on the alert for the possible complications that this would generate in the commercialization.
In order to protect the health of consumers, European authorities could vary the maximum residue limits (MRL's) that food entering the region may contain.
After the Costa Rican authorities raised the tariff on imported sugar from 45% to 73%, the South American country decided to raise before the World Trade Organization, a process to exercise the right of suspension.
In June of this year, the Alvarado administration decided to increase to 79% and for the term of three years, the tariff on sugar entering the country.
Following Panama's blockade of the entry of animal products from Costa Rica, arguing that the permits have expired, Costa Rican authorities decided to notify the World Trade Organization of the dispute.
On July 10, Panama informed the National Animal Health Service (SENASA) of Costa Rica's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) of the decision not to extend export permits to a list of previously authorized Costa Rican establishments that have been exporting to Panama for many years.
The World Trade Organization created a special group to address a complaint filed by Guatemala for alleged export subsidies granted to sugar cane producers in India.
Panama notified the international organization of its decision to initiate a safeguard investigation into certain cuts of fresh, chilled or frozen pork.
According to Resolution No. 003 of May 3, 2019, published in the Gaceta Oficial (Official Gazette), the Panamanian government ordered "to begin an investigation for the possible imposition of safeguard measures to the product Pork meat, fresh, chilled or frozen; in carcasses or half carcasses, bone-in or boneless, fit for human consumption, requested by the Asociación Nacional de Porcinoculturoes de Panamá (ANAPOR)."
The WTO was part of the panel of experts that will resolve Mexico's lawsuit against Costa Rica, arising from the barriers imposed by the Costa Rican authorities to import the fruit.
The trade conflict emerged because of the barriers that Costa Rica imposes since 2014 to the entry of avocado from Mexico. Because the dispute remains unresolved, the authorities of the North American country requested last November 27 to the World Trade Organization (WTO) to submit the case to an arbitration panel.
Because of the problem of the barriers that Costa Rica has imposed since 2014 to the entry of avocado from Mexico remains unsolved, the Mexican authorities asked the WTO to refer the case to an arbitration panel.
The blockade of the Mexican avocado does not end. The Ministry of Foreign Trade (Comex) reported that Mexico requested the WTO to establish a panel of arbitrators to solve the dispute.
Hass avocados from Mexico can be imported in containers, provided that they come certified as fruit containers that are free from the sunspot disease or from areas certified as free.
The proposal put forward by the State Phytosanitary Service (SFE) to the Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures at the WTO, where the conflict between Costa Rica and Mexico is being resolved, establishes that the fruit may be imported in any of three circumstances: the fruit is sent with a certificate that guarantees that it does not have sunspot, with a certificate that comes from areas free of the disease, or where there is compliance with rules agreed bilaterally by the two countries.
A deferral has been made for a compliance panel which was requested by Panama to verify whether or not Colombia has complied with the WTO ruling in the dispute over Panamanian textile and footwear tariffs.
Laestrella.com.pa reports that "...Panama called on the World Trade Organization (WTO) to establish a panel to determine whether or not Colombia complied with the organization's ruling which put pressure on Bogotá to withdraw a tariff on imports of Panamanian textiles, clothing and footwear."
The Mexican government has filed a complaint with the WTO against Costa Rica over the imposition of restrictions on imports of avocados, in place since May 2014.
Mexican authorities are tired of waiting and have decided to initiate a process with the World Trade Organization in order to resolve the problem, only days after Costa Rica suggested, as a possible solution to the conflict, the implementation of a laboratory test for imports of the fruit.
A WTO panel must now verify whether Colombia has complied with the ruling that forced it to suspend the collection of tariffs on imports of textiles and footwear coming from Panama.
With this new stage in the process being undertaken by both countries to try to resolve the tariff dispute, the final solution could be farther off than expected, since according to the World Trade Organization itself, the decision by the verification commission could take up to three months.
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.