In the NAFTA review carried out by the Central American and U.S. authorities, it is ruled out that the U.S. government will apply trade sanctions in retaliation for the deepening of the migration problem.
After the Trump administration pressured Mexico with the threat of increased tariffs on Mexican imports, the region has generated expectations for the planned review of the NAFTA with Central America.
In the view of Fitch Ratings, the likelihood of the trade agreement being renegotiated is low, but the region faces challenges "if US protectionism gains traction over the next few years."
From a statement issued by Fitch Ratings:
Fitch Ratings - New York - (May 16, 2017): While Central America and the Dominican Republic could benefit from the expected economic acceleration in the United States, these countries could also face challenges if US protectionism were to gain traction in the coming years, says Fitch Ratings.
There still remains tasks to be completed in the process of preparing to compete with milk and dairy products, which in 2025 will start to enter the country duty-free under the CAFTA.
In regards to how to prepare for the next market opening, José Antonio Madriz, President of the National Chamber of Milk Producers, told Nacion.com that there still remains work to be done, and that they"... have approached the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) several times, as lead agency, to establish joint plans between the private sector, government, universities and other research centers, but the result is insufficient."
Competing with multinationals under DR-CAFTA requires companies to comply with all the necessary processes to protect their brands, processes and products.
The arrival of multinational companies in Central America competing in legal equality with local or regional firms as a result of DR-CAFTA, highlights gaps in legal implementation and best practices for business on issues such as the protection of trademarks and intellectual property.
A meeting is being convened for the textile and clothing industry on March 16 in El Salvador, where the overall situation in the sector will be discussed.
From a statement issued by Proesa:
El Salvador is preparing for the third edition of the Forum of Textiles and Apparel (FOROTEX) 2016, a space where high-level international speakers present trends and strategies for competing in international markets.
In 2016 scheduled tariff reductions for rice imports begin as part of the DR-CAFTA, posing a threat to local producers.
Nicaraguan rice producers have pointed to the efforts made by the sector to achieve self-sufficiency in supplying the local market, and report that the main competitor unleashed by this tariff reduction is the US which they point out subsidizes rice production.
From January 2016 import tariffs will start to be phased out on chicken, rice and milk from the USA, reaching 0% in 2022 and 2025, under the DR-CAFTA agreement.
In Costa Rica local producers say they have been preparing for this for several years, but the country's loss of competitiveness due to high production costs and lack of action by the government to improve on this might prevent them from competing on equal terms.
Nicaraguan businessmen have proposed that Central America as a whole operates a preferential tariff treatment in the US for imports of textiles in the region.
After trying to negotiate, through several formats, tariff preference levels (TPL), so far unsuccessfully, textile entrepreneurs are now appealing to the union of the region to address the issue with the US once again.
Arbitrators working under the framework of DR-CAFTA have ruled that Costa Rican exports within this trade agreement in El Salvador should receive the tariff preferences provided for in the text.
From a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica (COMEX):
Defending the interests of the country as part of the effective administration of the treaty
A group of U.S. investors is suing the state for $70 million alleging violation of DR-CAFTA preventing the development of real estate project Las Olas in Puntarenas.
The lawsuit filed with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) by a group of investors led by David Richard Aven notes that "... national authorities treated them unfairly, in relation to a real estate development project in the Esterillos beach area in the Central Pacific. They also claim that the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with their country was violated. "
Both countries have already submitted formal documents in which Costa Rica denounces the non-application of tariff preferences on juices and tires exported to El Salvador under the CAFTA agreement.
Now that the formal documents have been presented, representatives from the governments of Costa Rica and El Salvador will await resolutions and new dates to proceed with the arbitration.
The Government has launched a consultation process under the CAFTA-DR after the U.S. eliminated the dehydrated ethanol quota established in that trade agreement.
A press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reads:
"The Government of Costa Rica today filed a request for consultations to the United States under the dispute settlement mechanism of the Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Central America and Dominican Republic (CAFTA-DR).
The Salvadoran President has asked the SIECA to intervene in a trade dispute with Costa Rica.
President Mauricio Funes, believes that a regional agency should resolve the trade dispute with Costa Rica, which has requested the creation of an international arbitration group. The problem, Funes said, should be resolved by the Secretariat for Central American Economic Integration (SIECA).
They are supporting Costa Rica in the dispute it has with El Salvador over the lack of respect for the DR -CAFTA and they are requesting action to be taken to end the paralysis of intraregional trade at Salvadoran customs offices.
The Federation of Chambers and Associations of Exporters in Central America (Fecaxca) is proposing that the fee of $18 being charged at customs offices in El Salvador be only imposed on goods which have the country as a final destination, and not everything that passes through Salvadoran territory which may be destined for other Central American countries.
The Ministry of Commerce has launched its "Look South" initiative so that U.S. companies can reap the benefits of the trade agreements that have been signed.
The Central American countries are part of the eleven Latin American economies with which the U.S. has trade agreements in force, and are those which - along with Mexico, with whom already has strong trade ties- because of their geographical position, be of interest to U.S. companies.
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