Croatia On Track To Join EU-Central America FTA

by Mike Godfrey, Tax-News.com, Washington

27 May 2014

Officials from nations party to the European Union-Central America Association Agreement met on May 12-13 to discuss Croatia's inclusion in the agreement.

The Association Agreement between the EU and Central America, which was signed on June 29, 2012, relies on three complementary pillars, namely: political dialogue, cooperation, and trade. The trade pillar, which has been provisionally in place since December 1, 2013, seeks to expand and diversify trade in goods between the signatories through the reduction or elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade.

The agreement currently includes 27 EU nations and the Central American countries Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Croatia, which became a member of the EU on July 1, 2013, would bring the number of EU member states included up to the full 28.

The agreement secures trade benefits worth about EUR87m for European Union member states each year, according to European Commission figures.

TAGS: free trade agreement (FTA) | Nicaragua | tariffs | Costa Rica | Guatemala | trade | Croatia | El Salvador | Honduras | free trade zone | Europe | Central America