Legislators pass first CAFTA law
Tico Times, Costa Rica
Legislators Pass First CAFTA Law
By Gillian Gillers, Tico Times Staff
28 November 2007
One down, 11 to go.
Legislators passed the first of 12 laws required to implement the Central American Free-Trade Agreement with the United States (CAFTA) on Monday night. The law, one of the least controversial of the 12, regulates the relationship between foreign companies and their representatives in Costa Rica.
Legislators gave the law an initial green light Oct. 23, but those from the anti-CAFTA Citizen Action Party (PAC) requested that the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court (Sala IV) review whether the law violates the Constitution. The Sala IV ruled Friday that it did not. Legislators approved the law in a 32-11 vote around 11 p.m. Monday.
If legislators do not pass the 12 laws by Feb. 29, 2008, they must request an extension from the treaty’s other members : the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Honduras and the Dominican Republic
