Following a meeting with Foreign Minister Carlos Morales Troncoso, the Haitian ambassador in the DR Fritz Cineas confirmed yesterday, Monday 22 July, that his government would ban the import of plastics manufactured in the Dominican Republic as of 1 August. The Haitian government says they are not biodegradable, as they take some 400 years to degrade, and cause damage to the environment.
Asked about when the ban on chicken and egg imports would be lifted, the ambassador said that the Dominican government would need to be patient. In this case, the Haitian government had claimed there was avian flu in the Dominican Republic but later accepted this was not true.
The Herrera Industries Association (AEIH) has asked the Dominican government to take the case as one of unfair trade practices to the World Trade Organization. Minister Morales Troncoso said the government would consider this action to protect local producers. “We are studying the possibility [of submitting a complaint at the WTO]. We are both signatories of the Economic Partnership Act and all trade agreements fall under that umbrella. That means there are rules to be followed for bilateral and multilateral trade as stipulated in the agreement,” he said while being interviewed at the Presidential Palace, as reported in El Dia. But Morales said that the measure to ban the import of plastics from the Dominican Republic is an environmental measure that is not connected to trade. He said that Ambassador Cineas is suggesting that local manufacturers add an additive that would make the plastics manufactured in the Dominican Republic more biodegradable.
Dominican Industries Association president Ligia Bonetti says that this latest ban could mean losses of US$75 million for companies that already regularly sell their goods in Haiti.
http://eldia.com.do/nacionales/2013/7/22/119954/RD-estudia-someter-a-Haiti-ante-la-OMC-por-la-veda-a-productos
www.hoy.com.do/economia/2013/7/22/490974/Embajador-Haiticonfirma-medida-contra-plasticos-RD
www.eldia.com.do/nacionales/2013/7/22/119892/Plasticos-dominicanos-danan-medioambiente-de-Haiti-afirma-embajador