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Public
FTAA.soc/civ/24
May 3, 2002
Original: Spanish
Translation: FTAA Secretariat
FTAA - COMMITTEE
OF GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES ON THE PARTICIPATION OF
CIVIL SOCIETY
CONTRIBUTION IN RESPONSE TO THE OPEN AND ONGOING INVITATION
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Name (s) |
Hector Vargas Villalta |
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Organization (s) |
Comité de Zonas Francas de las
Américas |
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Country |
Costa Rica |
Submitted by:
The Customs-Free Zones of the Americas Committee (CZFA), a
nongovernmental, nonprofit, apolitical organization that supports
customs-free zones in Latin America, from Mexico to Argentina
Negotiating Group:
Market Access
Topic:
Goods manufactured in customs-free zones should receive the benefits of
the tariff elimination programs accorded under the FTAA and alternatives
should be sought for harmonizing the rules and incentives of customs-free
zones
Rationale:
The representatives of the customs-free sector of Central America and the
Caribbean, gathered for the “Second Central American and Caribbean Free
Zones Forum,” held from 13 to 15 March 2002, at the Coral Hamaca Hotel,
Boca Chica, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, consider:
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That during the Sixth Ministerial
Meeting of the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA), held in
Buenos Aires, Argentina, in April 2001, mechanisms were sought to
increase foreign trade in countries with relatively less economic
development and in countries with smaller economies;
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That customs-free zones in Central
America and the Caribbean are directly creating 500,000 jobs in
manufacturing and are responsible for a significant percentage of the
total exports of the countries of the hemisphere;
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That seeking consensus among the future members of the
FTAA is a priority, so that the benefits of the agreement that derive
from the negotiated rules of origin, especially those rules related to
the countries’ level of development, can be recognized.
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That the
establishment of logistical centers for the physical distribution of
goods is crucial for the facilitation of trade, as is the fact that
customs-free zones have promoted the development of trade.
Request:
1. We urge the Negotiating Group on
Market Access to inform the FTAA Trade Negotiations Committee of the
importance of customs-free zones in the countries of Central America and
the Caribbean as a tool for creating jobs, adding value, transferring
technology, and diversifying their exports.
2. We request that the Negotiating
Group on Market Access seek a consensus so that goods manufactured in
customs-free zones are accorded the tariff benefits of the FTAA,
provided that they meet the agreed origin requirements.
3. We ask the Negotiating Group on
Market Access to seek a consensus so that international logistical
centers covered under the customs-free regime can be used in such a way
FTAA tariff benefits attach to goods originating in FTAA member
countries that pass through these centers, provided that such goods are
not subject to transformation and are duly certified to that effect.
4. The Customs-Free Zones of the
Americas Committee offers to help the Negotiating Group on Market Access
obtain more information on, and increase its understanding of, the scope
and characteristics of the customs-free regime in the Americas.
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