Hoy newspaper’s economic section reports that imports from European countries to the Dominican Republic comprise the bulk of income from tariffs, with levies of between 14% and 40% on over one third of these import items. These figures were provided in the latest bulletin from the European Union delegation in Santo Domingo, headed by Ambassador Miguel Amado. Of the remaining imports, roughly one third are subject to a charge of 3% and the rest are tariff-free. Imports from the European Union’s 15-member states include machinery, equipment, cars, wines, cheeses, medicines, shoes, textiles, cosmetics and processed foods. These transactions are encompassed in the framework of the European Union’s trade agreement with the ACP (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) nations, of which the Dominican Republic, as a former colony of a European nation, is a member. The agreement, signed in 2000, is aimed at promoting development in member nations through increased European investment. The EU report applauds the Dominican Republic for its efforts to integrate itself into world trade through a series of bilateral and multilateral regional trade agreements, while asking that it not lose sight of its commercial relations with Europe in the process. The EU warns against neglecting the needs of the most vulnerable while negotiating such agreements.