I Need A Lot Of Dance Booty Shorts

.

Opinion

Back to top Send to a friend Print Send corrections 20 comments Share

IMPLICATIONS What does it mean for Panama agreement trade with Europe? Tom Rodriguez

opinion@prensa.com

Panama has made significant progress on market access in Europe. First normalized from last July to the Generalized System access of Preferences (GSP +), which was suspended from early last year by administrative failures.

This mechanism is an instrument of non-reciprocal trade policy, used by developed countries to assist developing countries, and has the feature that eliminates and / or reduce tariffs on certain products. This will contribute to a possible short-term recovery of exports of goods Panamanians who had been registered in recent months a significant decrease.

However, this mechanism has several limitations. On the one hand benefits only some of the Panamanians and other products, its period of validity is uncertain, which raises the second major advance in Panama.

The country had hitherto enjoyed observer status in the process of negotiating the agreement between Central America and the European Union (EU), anticipates that more than two years. Recently, however, finally agreed to Central America to Panama as a full member of the trade agreement process and deleted the requirement that the country assumed the commitment to join the Central American Economic Integration Subsystem (SIEC).

One of the great advantages of this agreement with the European Union, it would provide free access to the huge most Panamanian products exported to Europe, which obviously lowers the price of these goods in the market. On average 31.7% of Panama's exports are destined for the European Union, highlighting agricultural exports (melon, watermelon, banana, etc.), A figure that could well rise since the signing of that pact.

Also, this new trade agreement would give preference to Panamanian products permanently, unlike what happens now. In fact, Europe is one of the most important markets for Panama, so that this agreement will further facilitate trade between both sides, creating benefits for the entire population.

So far most of the exports to the old continent have been mainly in the form of raw materials and agricultural products. But the agreement includes a broad level of knowledge for Panamanian exporters, since, within the framework of cooperation with the European Union are projects for technical assistance to trade, strengthening trade capacity, which will enable the country increase exports of higher value content or industrial and technological development.

For imports to Panama, would exclude those products where local demand is covered by domestic producers such as maize, fresh milk, among others. Equally significantly reducing tariffs on products such as bananas, which got a rebate from the EU tariff of 75 euros ($ 94) per metric ton.

While this future agreement with Europe and the various treaties, both multilateral and bilateral signed by Panama, opening a margin to improve access of local products to foreign markets, it is a fact that requires a comprehensive strategy in parallel trade to improve export promotion. This will necessarily require an aggressive policy of promoting competitiveness and referred clusters económicos.