The EFTA States (Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland) and Colombia and Peru held the fourth round of negotiations on comprehensive Free Trade Agreements last week in Bogotá.
The EFTA States have been engaged in joint negotiations with the two Latin American countries since June 2007. During the fourth round of negotiations which took place on 1-6 April 2008 in Bogotá, Colombia, delegations completed talks in several areas, including technical barriers to trade, trade remedies and government procurement. In the other subject matters, outstanding issues could be narrowed down significantly.
It is expected that the negotiations with both partner countries will be finalized within the second quarter of this year. They will result in two separate Free Trade Agreements with a broad coverage, including trade in industrial and agricultural goods, trade in services, investment, intellectual property rights, government procurement and competition. The EFTA States already have 16 Free Trade Agreements with partner countries outside the European Union.
At the negotiating round in Bogotá, delegations were headed by H.E. Ricardo Duarte, Chief Negotiator of the Ministry of Trade (Colombia), H.E. Eduardo Ferreyros, Vice-Minister for Foreign Trade (Peru), and H.E. Marie-Gabrielle Ineichen-Fleisch, Ambassador (Switzerland, for the EFTA States).