The Minister of Trade and Industry, Ricardo Quijano said Panama will be ready in October to implement the Free Trade Agreement signed with the United States, which is planned to come into effect on October 1. To do this, Quijano said he will go to the National Assembly tomorrow, Tuesday September 18, to discuss the five important issues for the implementation of the agreement. These include the issue of copyright, in which new elements will be introduced into law to protect artists and those with authorship in any subject. It also promotes the protection of intellectual property, government procurement and the definition of what is wholesale. The Minister of Trade and Industry said on TVN News Monday he was confident the bill will be quickly approved by the Assembly, as they have done countless meetings with all the legislative Viagra caucuses. “We will be ready for the month of October,” Quijano guaranteed, while noting that the swift passage of this legislation is required for compliance with the commitments made by Panama after signing the FTA with the US. The FTA was scheduled to take effect on October 1, but, because of the two-week delay in the National Assembly due to the debates on electoral reforms, they failed to discuss the Bill submitted by Quijano on 29 August, which has altered the date of implementation. (Prensa)
Editor’s Comment: Errr, OK. Because just last week Quijano said there’s no way Panama would be ready to implement on 1 October. There are “big boys” out there who have already invested money and made commitments, based on the promised implementation date of 1 October. “Make it so…”
Source Panama Guide.
