The first meeting of the Trade and Investment Council established under the U.S.-Uruguay Trade and Investment Framework Agreement was held April 26 in
Washington, D.C. According to a written statement from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, the two countries have agreed on a work plan aimed at strengthening their bilateral trade and investment relationship. Areas identified in the plan for further discussion are as follows.
• facilitation and liberalization of trade and investment (including agricultural issues)
• sanitary and phytosanitary measures
• technical barriers to trade
• intellectual property rights
• regulatory issues affecting trade policy and investment
• information and communications technology and e-commerce
• trade and technical capacity building
• trade in services
• government procurement
• labor and the environment
• biofuels
• innovation
The two sides plan to convene another meeting of the council later this year, at which time they will assess progress and determine appropriate next steps to advance their common goals.
The U.S. and Uruguay signed the TIFA in January following President Tabare Vazquez’s announcement that Uruguay would not pursue a free trade agreement with the U.S. Uruguay is a founding member of the Southern Cone Common Market (Mercosur) trading bloc, which also includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Venezuela. These countries opposed Uruguay’s signal that it was interested in an FTA with the U.S.
