Finally the geopolitical reality has been imposed and the Canal country has been formally integrated into the community of Central America nations.
It was "a great achievement" and one "longed for for many years by all Central American countries", this was Panama's accession to SIECA, an organ of the Central American Integration System (SICA), said Anabel Gonzalez, Costa Rican Foreign Trade Minister.
The Union of Central American Bi-National Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Mexican Investment has been formally established.
Ucabicimex is "formed by the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of Costa Rica - Mexico (Cicomex), the Salvadoran - Mexican Trade (Chamber Casalmex), the Guatemalan - Mexican Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CAMEX), the Honduras - Mexico Enterprise Chamber ( CEHM), the Mexico - Costa Rica Enterprise Chamber (Camexcr), the Mexico - El Salvador Enterprise Chamber (Camexsal), the Mexico - Nicaraguan Enterprise Chamber (Camenic) and the Mexico - Panama Chamber of Commerce (Camexpa) ", reported Nacion.com.
Five regulations signed by the COMIECO will facilitate trade within the region and minimize the cost of economic exchange.
The Council of Ministers of Economy (Comieco) agreed to sign 5 regulations to standardize the use of packaging and labels at the regional level, in order to facilitate trade and minimize costs of economic exchange in the isthmus, reported Agencia Guatemalteca de Noticias.
The Federation of Chambers of Commerce of Central America has met in Managua, to discuss proposals and initiatives to overcome barriers of various kinds to trade on the isthmus.
"The president of the Chamber of Commerce of Nicaragua (CACONIC), Mario Gonzalez, said that employers are looking for strategies to strongly influence their respective governments with the aim of stopping them from blocking regional trade, including the closure of the borders, for political reasons or non-tariff related barriers," reported La Prensa in its online edition.
Representatives from South Korean companies are touring Panama, evaluating different regional investment options.
Several high profiles companies are represented in the trade mission: Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motors Company, LS-Nikko Copper, Korean Air, Hanjin Shipping, Korea Federation of Textile Industries and the Export-Import Bank of Korea, among others.
This was the official posture of a delegation from the European Parliament, in a visit to Costa Rica.
Marco Vinicio Ruiz, Costa Rican Commerce Minister, explained the stance of the Europeans, who want to wait for the Honduran elections to resume negotiations after them.
"If this electoral process is carried out in a reasonable manner, with international supervision, and many governments endorse them, it is likely that negotiations will be resumed immediately after them", stated the minister.
Both countries seek to improve bilateral relationships with this agreement, which comprises trade and cooperation topics.
The presidents of both countries are expected to sign it in Oscar Arias' official visit to Panama.
"Before the presidential encounter, chancellors from the two countries will preside the III Meeting of the Political Consultation Mechanism, in order to review political, commercial, cooperation, customs and transportation issues", reported Univision.com.
A delegation of 25 businessmen representing various productive sectors visited Honduras.
Businessmen from the cement industry, sugar, construction, coffee, honey, banana, real estate services and commerce talked with president Roberto Micheletti and Honduran business leaders.
"According to news agency Acan-Efe, Micheletti declared when talking to Guatemalan businessmen: my Government is willing to consolidate judicial security as a basic social guarantee, but specially as a tool to foster our investment climate", reported Prensalibre.com.
From the 11th to the 13th of February, advancement will be pursued regarding the integration of customs and the duties for bananas and sugar, issues still pending in the negotiations with the EU.
PrensaLibre.com publishes in its website: "The Vice President and Panamanian Chancellor, Samuel Lewis Navarre, declared that there still is not a concrete date scheduled for the next round that Central America and the EU will coordinate in an attempt to achieve progress in negotiations and to conclude the talks next May, as they have had anticipated."
The Costa Rican government looks forward to start negotiations in 2009 for Free Trade Agreements with China and Mercosur
The FTA with Mercosur with be in conjunction with the other Central American countries, stated on Wednesday, from Brasilia, the International Trade minister Marco Vinicio Ruiz.
"We have just finished a a feasibility study with China, and we may announce a negotiation anytime soon", said the minister in an AFP interview.
The poultry and dairy industries of Central America are seeking special or exclusive treatment for imported products in the trade agreement being negotiated with the European Union.
"Dairy companies have asked for special treatment, and are sticking with their position," said Rigoberto Monge, a member of Central America's negotiating team.
Livestock producers and industrialists of Central America are considering an exclusion since 2007, when they met in El Salvador to consider tariff issues.
Trade in goods between the countries of Central America, Dominican Republic and the United States, signatories of the North American Free Trade Agreement CAFTA (the acronym in English), increased by 7.9 percent in 2007, said today the Dominican Minister of Industry and Commerce, Melanio Paredes.
This increase was 9.5 in 2006, according to Paredes, who explained that the total value of exports and imports of goods between these countries "has maintained a steady expansion in recent years, as the total volume of both concepts happened to 31,935 million dollars in 2003 to 41,169 million in 2007.
State of the situation november 2007, of the economic integration process of the Central American region, basically refers to the legal institutional framework and insertion of Central
American into international trade.
Intitutional legal scope, Central American trade with the world, Central American free trade zone, Central American customs union and the insertion of Central America into the world economy.