The Mexican government is considering constructing a pipeline and eventually a refinery to supply the region.
Miguel Hakim, Mexican Secretary for Latin America and the Caribbean, said his country is considering building a refinery and natural gas pipeline which would cross the isthmus and would be an alternative option for generating power at low cost. Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), has $2 billion to invest.
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.
Guatemala is not getting ready for the entry into force in January 2015 of a U.S. policy which establishes inspection systems for containers at the ports of departure.
Guatemala is running the risk of not being able to sell its products to the United States, seeing as authorities have not placed any importance on the implementation of the Initiative for Safe Containers (Container Security Initiative-CSI).
In relation to GDP, the expenses of the Costa Rican state are the highest in Central America.
This was revealed by a survey conducted by the Central American Institute for Fiscal Studies (Icefi). Second place is occupied by the Government of Panama with 23% of GDP followed by Guatemala which has one of the lowest with 15.1% of production.
Costa Rica is the only Central American country which plans to increase current spending to a total of 18.6% of GDP, also the highest in the region. "... The tax burden is not enough to fund the standard of living in terms of public service delivery," said Renato Vargas Icefi analyst.
During the VIII Petrocaribe Summit it was reported that the rate of interest on oil bills will be changed, increasing from between 2% to 4%.
The Guatemalan Vice President Roxana Baldetti, explained that Venezuela has modified the interest payment according to oil and oil supplies for more than a dozen Latin American countries. Guatemala's concern is so great that it no longer considers the agreement attractive and could move away from it.
Those countries who have not ratified the Association Agreement with the European Union are at risk of losing markets compared to other Central American nations.
In an interview in Siglo21.com.gt by Celso Solano, with the ambassador to the European Union in Guatemala, Stella Zervoudaki, the official explained that there will not be any sanctions if Guatemala fails to ratify the agreement on or before May 15, but the country faces other threats.
In light of an announcement by the Guatemalan government that they are looking for more beef suppliers, Colombia is making preparations.
From an article by the Costa Rican Trade Promotion Office (PROCOMER):
The Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food in Guatemala (MAGA) reported that it will be evaluating new suppliers in light of a possible meat shortage caused by an increase in prices in the country.
The event will be held in Guatemala from 9 to April 12, 2012, and has the theme "The Present and Future of Latin American ports in the Era of Multimodality and Logistics."
With an emphasis on multimodaling and logistics, the port community on the continent will meet in Antigua, a city declared Historical Patrimony of Humanity by UNESCO, between 9 and April 12, 2012, where authorities and executives of international port terminals, business sector providers, will gather to participate in the meeting organized by the American Association of Port Authorities (AAPA) and the National port Commission (NPC) in Guatemala convening under the theme: "Present and Future of American Ports in the Era of Multimodality and Logistics. "