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This is how the Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture of Panama (Cciap) pronounced this week after the presidential sanction of the law that ratifies the incorporation of Panama as a Mercosur Associated State. The President of the Republic, José Raúl Mulino, signed the rule last Monday, October 13, after its unanimous approval in the National Assembly.
For the Cciap, this alliance represents “a great opportunity for our country.” In its weekly column La Cámara Opina, the union stressed that “becoming a Mercosur Associate State is not a symbolic title, but a strategic decision that opens the door to new opportunities for trade, investment and employment.”
The organization recalled that the regional bloc represents a joint economy of more than 270 million inhabitants and is the fifth largest economy in the world. In addition, Panama already maintains a trade exchange with the countries that make it up for more than 564 million dollars a year, the union said.
The House stressed that the incorporation into Mercosur will allow “to move towards preferential access to the bloc’s markets, promote a sustained increase in exports and boost the attraction of foreign direct investment to Panamanian productive sectors.”
He also said that this link “creates a stable and predictable framework for trade relations, with potential for cooperation in infrastructure projects, innovation and public-private partnerships.”
However, the Cciap warned that this new scenario involves responsibilities. “Now it will be our turn to sit down with each member country to negotiate bilateral agreements, build new frameworks for cooperation and define, with intelligence and strategy, how the exchange of goods, services and investments will take place. Each negotiation will be an opportunity to defend ours, protect sensitive sectors and make room for those who can grow with the support of the bloc,” he said.
The union reiterated that the key lies in technical preparation and active participation in each negotiation.
“There are no bad treaties; there are treaties that must be negotiated well. And that is only achieved by actively participating, with preparation and with a country vision,” he stressed.
Finally, the House expressed its optimism regarding the benefits that the alliance with the South American trade bloc will bring: more jobs, more opportunities and more future for Panamanians.
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