Former director of foreign trade for the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Hugo Rivera Fernandez said that it is more than likely that the DR will not begin to implement the free trade agreement with the United States because several requirements are not being met. As reported in El Caribe, Rivera said that the start of the agreement in July as announced by the government is feasible, he sees that this happening will be “difficult.” “The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has made an effort, and the Department of Customs, also, but this involves all government authorities and many are lagging behind the Ministry of Industry and Commerce,” he said. Rivera said still many structural changes need to be carried out. “In the specific case of the temporary decree regarding government purchases, it looks like the United States prefers the passing of a law to this effect, thus the legislature needs to comply. He also said pending are rulings regarding intellectual property.
Rivera said the DR made a mistake to announce it was targeting a July implementation, because the country has now been put aside by US Department of Commerce officers that are concentrating on countries, such as Honduras and El Salvador, that have stated they would start as soon as possible.