ISDS Case Map
Dominican Republic
The Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE) announced yesterday that it is postponing a nationwide referendum on the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) from Sept. 23 to Oct. 7 as a high court examines whether the assembly violated its procedures in its handling of legislation related to the pact.
At the request of a group of legislators, the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) will review a controversial trade pact before Costa Rican citizens vote on it, according to a statement released Friday by the Judicial Branch.
On paper, the Dominican Republic is one of most dynamic countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Last year the economy of this country of 9 million people, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, expanded at 10 percent. Politically the Dominican Republic is seen as one of the region's most stable democracies.
The local automotive market hasn't benefited in the 3 months of the since the Dr-Cafta trade pact took effect, said the ex-president of Acofave, which groups the auto maker's representatives.
It's a trade negotiator's nightmare. The Costa Rican Supreme Court has announced plans to review the United States-Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) to assess the impact of that agreement upon civil liberties and human rights.
Representatives from Costa Rican business chambers said yesterday that they're happy to publish information on campaign donations for the upcoming free-trade referendum - but only if the Supreme Elections Tribunal (TSE) asks them to do so.
The Senate is set to modify the General Concessions Law so the Dominican Republic adheres to its commitments in the Free Trade Agreement with the United States and Central America.
Prices of articles included in the free trade agreement between the Dominican Republic, Central America and the United States, DR-CAFTA, which is already in effect have not come down. If anything, they have increased. Small businesses are claiming that wholesale prices are more expensive.
A lawyer expert in trade said that while the Free Trade Agreement with the U.S. and Central America (DR-CAFTA) protects professional services via a law that governs them, such as lawyers, doctors, accountants, speakers and television hosts, work in the media can be exerted by any foreigner, because the law that governs it doesn't demands the condition of Dominican or an affiliation with any union.
For those who do not know it, it is at the very least paradoxical that it was precisely President Oscar Arias, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize and impassioned defender of “democracy,” who attempted to block a citizens' initiative that would approve the convening of a referendum to decide on the Costa Rican people's approval or not of a free trade agreement (FTA) with the United States.
