Number: RL32770
Title: Andean-U.S. Free-Trade Agreement Negotiations
Authors: M. Angeles Villarreal, Foreign Affairs, Defense, and Trade Division 
Abstract: There were several important issues in the FTA negotiations. The trade negotiators stated that the main obstacles to concluding an overall agreement were in agriculture and intellectual property rights. Another major concern was the issue of labor standards. Under the notification procedures founded in the Trade Promotion Authority Act, the trade agreements with Peru and Colombia could be voted on by the Congress sometime this summer. The narrow passage of CAFTADR had been viewed as an indicator that any U.S.-Andean FTA might also face considerable opposition. How the Bush Administration's decision to negotiate and submit separate FTAs with Peru and Colombia might affect this calculation remains uncertain.
Pages: 13
Date: March 14, 2006