Ingresar
Central American deputy ministers revise implementation of agreement with EU
By Edy Guadalupe Portal, Portal & Asociados
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Trade and Integration in Guatemala, Maria Luisa Flores, issued a declaration stating that the meeting was held in Brussels to review the issues related to the implementation of the regional treaty.
The rules of procedure and the code of conduct for dispute resolution, the list of panelists that need to be ready for implementation and the necessary regulations for the proper functioning of the groups responsible for administering the Agreement were analyzed by the officials.
The agreement between Central America and the European Union (EU) was signed on June 29, 2012 in Honduras. Flores said that the pact will come into force next August for all those countries that have met the domestic legal requirements, including the ones regarding the registration of geographical indications. This is the case of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama who have complied, she said.
The deputy minister said that in the case of Guatemala they must wait until early 2014 because the Congress ratified the agreement last June shortly after the deadline.
The incorporation of Croatia to the EU to accede to the Agreement was also discussed in the meeting. Flores explained that they worked on a road map to see how to adhere Croatia.
Central American countries must sign a document for the adhesion of that country which must also be approved by the respective legislatures.
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In El Salvador, Practice Head Edy Guadalupe Portal is a partner at Eproint and has more than 25 years of experience in Intellectual Property. Since 1995, she has been recognized as the Salvadoran voice of Intellectual Property protection for always informing the IP community about changes to IP law and international treaties.
During her career, Mrs. Portal has helped numerous international law firms and in-house counsel with all facets of their IP matters in El Salvador and Central America. Her extensive practice includes work in trademarks, patents, industrial designs, utility models, copyrights, unfair competition, foreign investment, regulatory law/health registrations, licensing, franchising, appellations of origin, geographical indications, IP litigation, fashion law, new technologies, data privacy, cybersecurity, domain names, entertainment law, advertisement law, trade secrets, valuation of intangibles, and IP due diligence. She is also recognized for the great anti-piracy and anti-counterfeiting results she has delivered for her clients. She also helps coordinate Latin America Intellectual Property Protection for the firm.