Laura Chinchilla's upcoming government will move Telecommunications to the Science and Technology Ministry.
Arguing that Telecom needs 'more political importance', Laura Chinchilla decided to move the topic from the Ministry of Environment and Energy (Minaet) to the Science and Technology Ministry (Micit).
Clotilde Fonseca, until now the executive director of Omar Dengo Foundation, will run the telecom desk at Micit, and will oversee the telecom market opening.
Anabel González Campabadal, the country’s designated commerce minister, stated she will change and restructure the Commerce Ministry.
One of the priorities is landing an agreement with Cinde, the organization that fosters foreign investment in the country. The idea is to improve the relationship between both entities.
González told Nacion.com that “she will make time to carefully review the programs executed by Procomer, the exports promotion authority, to define if changes are needed to adapt to the country’s current needs”.
On April 14 and 15, a hundred foreign investors and 74 companies will participate in the first Costa Rican Costa Rica Investment World.
Electronics, services, industrial goods such as metalworking, green technologies and research are some of the sectors that will participate in the event.
The purpose of the activity is to promote Costa Rica as an emerging market for high value-added investment and bring the whole supply chain in one single place, explained Emmanuel Hess, Foreign Trade Promoter (Procomer) manager.
29 new foreign investment projects in high technology services, medical devices and advanced manufacturing.
The Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE), indicated that 29 new foreign investment projects that arrived in the country in the high technology services sector, medical devices and advanced manufacturing, in conjunction with the companies already installed, generated 5,730 new jobs and US $304.6 million during 2009.
U.S. company Motif, a provider of research and customer care services, will start operating in the country in January.
This will be the company's first office in Latin America and the Caribbean, who expects to employ 500 people in the upcoming months.
"Motif provides customer care services for other companies. In Costa Rica, it will provide telephone and electronic services for the customers of a travel company", reported Epa.
The country will develop strategies to attract environmentally-friendly foreign investments.
This new niche, with potential for Europe and the U.S., will be part of the country's foreign investment strategy starting 2010.
"Marco Vinicio Ruíz, Commerce Minister, assured the country has 'all the conditions' to became the destination for multinational companies doing research and production on clean energies", reported Nacion.com.
In Costa Rica, multinational companies are worrying for delays in the law that modifies fiscal incentives at free ports.
Two articles in Nacion.com reveal Intel's and Bridgestone's concern for insecurity in investment planning caused by delays in the approval of the law, which is being studied by Congress.
Michael Forrest, general manager at Intel Costa Rica, explained the need to have certainties regarding the fiscal conditions of the new regime for planning long-term investments: "Countries in which we invest must provide confidence, political stability and understanding of the fiscal matter. If there is uncertainty in any of these aspects, doubts arise and we must look elsewhere".
English language mastery has long been an essential condition for working in a multinational company. Now, a third language is becoming a requisite.
In Europe, the consolidation of the Common Market and the lack of border for human resources has made trilingual the norm and not the exception. The same is happening in Central America, as the service industry sees with positive eyes, and even requires its staff to speak English fluidly as well as another language like Portuguese, German, Chinese, French, Italian or Russian.
The companies Stream, AEGIS, Amadeus, the ICT Group, and ACE are looking for 600 people with high levels of English and immediate availability.
The call center Stream, which has the most vacancies, will hire 350 people. AEGIS seeks 20 new team members for the service area of customer service. In the technical sector, the business that offers services such as travel booking, cruises, and rental cars, Amadeus, will hire four people.
Continental AG canceled the start of operations of the auto parts factory for Chrysler built in 2008 with $62 million.
The United States automotive crisis and the consequent decline in demand for high-tech devices that the plant would have made forced Continental AG to close the factory that had not yet begun operations.
Even though an 8% decrease in tourism is estimated, it would be offset by the digital advertising, financial support and software sectors.
Data generated by CINDE, the Costa Rican Promoter of Foreign Trade (PROCOMER) and the Central Bank of Costa Rica (BCCR) are predicting an 8% decline in tourism earnings, while other exporters of services, both local and foreign, will grow by 13% when compared to 2008.
The firm, dedicated to offering integrated solutions in human resources, will install its operating headquarters for A. Latina in Costa Rica with an investment of $2 million.
Yahoo.com publishes: "... a hiring of 70 people during the next two years. Among the services offered by the company are executive hiring, external recruitment, database management, consulting, training, project management and business re-location processes."
The companies are asking for reforms to the Law of Incentives that would allow a reduction in income tax starting 2015.
Nacion.com reports on its website: "Timothy Scott, director of the Association of Free Zone Companies (Azofras), explained that the companies are asking that the new tariff that will come into effect in 2015 be "one digit" (less than 10%).
Since yesterday, the sterilizing plant owned by American company, BeamOne, began its activities at the Coyol free zone in Alajuela.
Nacion.com reports: "Before BeamOne, the country was lacking in sterilization services, providing an advantage to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic in attracting companies from the medical industry.
Gabriela Llobet, director of the Costa Rican Coalition for Development Incentives (Cinde) commented that BeamOne will be an important reason for multinationals to come."
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