Ecuadorian Government does not intend to comply with CAN resolution

The Ecuadorian government will not abide Resolution 1716 of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN for its Spanish acronym), said Minister of Industry and Productivity Ramiro Gonzalez. In this, the country is required to terminate Resolution 116, which establishes controls on imports of about 150 items.

“Comex lawyers are studying the case, on the weekend we will answer to the CAN. What we will do is to raise the invalidity in the Andean Court of Justice, as a last resort”, said Gonzalez.

In Resolution 116, import controls were established, among which is the requirement to submit certificates of the Ecuadorian Standardization Institute (INEN) to clear imports off from the custom´s office.

In Resolution 1695, the CAN calls the measures imposed by Resolution 116 in Ecuador as ” restrictive to intrasubregional trade and contrary to the terms of the Agreement of the Cartagena Agreement”.

Gabriela Uquillas, Customs advisor for the Guayaquil Chamber of Commerce, said that with Resolution 116, imports from the CAN have decreased by 40%. “We have to remember that Colombia is our second largest trading partner where most imports are brought. This is a technical barrier to trade, we can not use the quality requirements as a mechanism to reduce imports”, he said.