Costa Rica Unlikely to Meet CAFTA Deadline
In late February, Costa Rica was given a seven-month extension on its deadline to join the Dominican Republic–Central American Free Trade Agreement, which encompasses six Central American countries and the United States.
But it appears that Costa Rica might not be making the new Oct. 1 deadline and will need another extension after a recent Costa Rican court decision that requires more work on the trade pact.
On Sept. 11, that country’s constitutional court ruled that legislators should not have passed certain legislative changes affecting the country’s intellectual-property rights without consulting the indigenous population.
Following the court’s decision, the government issued a statement saying it may not make the Oct. 1 deadline, which was extended from the original Feb. 29 deadline. But the government said it would do everything possible to make sure Costa Rica becomes a member of DR-CAFTA.
Gretchen Hamel, a spokesperson for the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, said Costa Rica hadn’t asked for an extension yet. “In consultation with other agencies, the Congress and our CAFTA partners, the USTR will carefully consider any request for an extension,” Hamel wrote in an e-mail.
DR-CAFTA is made up of seven countries: the United States, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Costa Rica. Every country except Costa Rica has been on board since last year and is taking advantage of the pact’s free-trade initiatives eliminating quotas and tariffs on most items. —Deborah Belgum
