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.
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.
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.
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.
FECAEXCA has submitted a regional strategy for the Association Agreement to be an effective tool of investment, business and employment generation.
From a press release issued by the Guatemalan Association of Exporters (Agexport):
Central American exporters meeting in the Federation of Chambers and Associations of exporters from Central America and the Dominican Republic, FECAEXCA, has delivered to its governmental and private initiative authorities a regional strategy for the Association Agreement to be an effective tool for investment, business and generating employment for regional countries.
In the next six years, the EU will invest in regional customs strengthening which it considers essential for harnessing the benefits of the AA.
Laprensa.com.ni reports: "With the support of the Central American Economic Integration Secretariat the EU will start a Support Programme for Central American Economic Integration and Implementation of the AA".
Nicaragua and Honduras are allowed to sell 65,000 more metric tons duty-free to the European Union.
The country has given approval for both Nicaragua and Honduras to receive this benefit temporarily, until the trade agreement becomes effective for Guatemala. "The Council of Ministers of Economy and Trade for Central America (Comieco) gave authorization this weekend for each country in the region to be able to make available its quotas at will" reported Nicaraguahoy.info.
The European Union will not mediate in the distribution between the Central American countries of the sugar quota of 60,000 tonnes allocated to the region.
"The European Union will only check the total regional quota has been reached and will not intervene in how it is distributed among the five Central American countries. The distribution and quota management is an internal matter for the Central American region," said Klara Klanska, commercial counselor of the EU to Central America.
Nicaragua and Honduras want to regionalize the EU quota, to be able to offer 53,000 tons of sugar.
Producers want the export quotas that the sugar growers in Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala were not able to meet, as in those countries the Association Agreement is not yet in force, said Mario Amador Rivas, general manager of the National Committee of Sugar Producers (CNPA).