U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab announced Feb. 27 that the U.S. and its DR-CAFTA partners have agreed to extend to Oct. 1 the deadline for Costa Rica to complete the required steps to become a full partner under that agreement. Costa Rica was scheduled to implement the agreement by Feb. 29, and while Costa Rican voters approved it in October 2007, certain legislative and regulatory steps remain before it can enter into force. According to a USTR press release, Schwab said the U.S. will continue to work closely with the Costa Rican government to complete the implementation process.
Costa Rica will be the last of the DR-CAFTA signatories to implement it. The agreement first took effect on March 1, 2006, initiating a two-year period for the remaining signatory countries to join. A country may join after this deadline, but only if the countries that have already joined agree.
World Trade/Interactive
