In the four years that the law of associations between the State and private companies in El Salvador has been in effect, not a single infrastructure project has been able to materialize using this business scheme.
Although there are at least seven infrastructure projects that were initially proposed as being those with the highest priority and ideals to be developed under the public-private partnership scheme and with funding from Fomilenio II, none of them has managed to materialize.
A proposal has been made to reduce the number of times a public-private partnership project would pass through the filter of the Legislative Assembly.
Among the reforms to the Law on Public-Private Partnerships that the Council for Growth has suggested to Congress is a reduction, from three to one, of the number of times a Public- Private Partnership (PPP) project should go through the filter of parliamentary approval.
The U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador stressed the need to adopt reforms to laws against money laundering and Public Private Partnerships.
According to the U.S. Ambassador Mari Carmen Aponte, laws against money laundering and Public Private Partnerships need to be passed in order to issue "clear signs" along with efforts to combat corruption in the country.
If approval is not given to the amendments to the Law on Public-Private Partnerships and the Money and Asset Laundering Act, the second disbursement will not be realised.
This was explained by Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes. "Donors are free to stipulate any conditions deemed appropriate. Everything that is the responsibility of the Executive has already been done," he said.