Restoring Central America's integration policies

By Mayora IP

The Guatemalan government will resume dialogues with the new government of El Salvador to determine the actions to be implemented to finalize the customs union of the Northern Triangle of Central America.

“El Salvador, after the change of government, has been trying to restore its Central American integration policies. We have a meeting in October to agree on the steps that will be taken”, said Julio Dougherty, Deputy Minister of Integration and Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Economy (Mineco).

The customs union between Guatemala and Honduras was launched on June 26, 2017, and has generated a growth in trade between the two nations by more than 7 percent. As part of the customs integration process, Guatemala and Honduras reached 70 percent of the free movement of goods and the harmonization of 98 percent of tariffs with third countries.

Adding El Salvador, the integrated economic bloc will help the free transit of people and goods across the three countries, while generating employment, increasing trade opportunities, improving regional security, and easing tourism. The three countries represent a territory of more than 77,000 square miles, and roughly 60 percent of the Central American population.