US-Andean countries


In May 2004, the US began negotiations with Colombia, Ecuador and Peru to reach some form of FTA with the three Andean countries -- and later, if US plans worked out, Bolivia as well.

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Free-trade discord takes toll on flower importers
Since Valentine’s Day, Miami flower importers have watched their expenses climb, contending with rising fuel prices and surcharges and, most vexing of all, the expiration of an Andean trade program that allowed them to bring in flowers from Colombia and Ecuador without paying duties.
Ecuador requests US to extend trade agreement
The Ecuadorian government on Wednesday requested the U.S. Senate to approve an extension by at least 18 months of the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA), which expired 11 days ago.
Bolivia to hold off on legal action vs US over trade
Bolivia's President Evo Morales said on Tuesday he would hold off on legal action over the US suspension of trade benefits for the Andean nation in hopes that President-elect Barack Obama will reverse the step.
US cuts Bolivian duty free export law
The US officially shut out Bolivia from the benefits of the Law of Andean Trade Preference and Drug Enforcement Act (ATPDEA).
Congress Approves Extension Of Andean Trade Agreement
Congress has approved an extension of the Andean Trade Preference Act (ATPA), covering trade with Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia in a move supported by the Bush administration, US textile manufacturers and importers of textiles and apparel.
House votes to extend trade benefit programs
The US House of Representatives voted unanimously on Monday to approve a one-year extension of trade benefits for Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Bolivia that expire at the end of the year.
Evo Morales accuses the US of using the FTA to divide Latin America
The President of Bolivia, Evo Morales, accused the US of extending its Free Trade Agreements program to divide Latin American countries.
Blow to the intellectual property rules of the Andean Community
In the early hours of Thursday, representatives of the governments of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru agreed to let Peru legislate intellectual property on its own to accommodate its Free Trade Agreement with United States, on the margins of Decision 486 of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN). Bolivia voted against this move in order to preserve the principles and foundations of the CAN.
Peru: Social rebellion spreads nationwide
New street protests were called for Thursday in some Amazon regions, in response to decrees issued by President Alan García, making it easier for private investors to enter the territories of native communities. The decrees were set in motion thanks to the powers granted by the legislative branch to the executive under the free trade agreement (FTA) signed with the United States. Political analysts say the government has exceeded its legal powers.
McCain to talk free trade in Latin America
John McCain has changed his mind about the president's tax cuts and drilling for oil off the U.S. coast, but the Republican presidential hopeful says his advocacy of free trade is unyielding.