Costa Rica Pushes To Be Host Of European- Central America Trade Deal
President Oscar Arias wants Costa Rica to be the home of the first round of meetings of talks for the beginning of a trade deal agreement between Central America and the European Union (EU). The announcement of the location will be made this weekend in Vienna, Austria.

Arias met with EU representative, Tomás Abadía, who is in Costa Rica, along with Ambassadors from Germany and Poland, Volker Fink and Andrzej Braiter, respectively.

"We are a little late to take to the Europeans on this subject. In this country if is difficult to predict what will happen in the Legislative Assembly, with the time they take to approve a deal by the ministers. I am optimistic" said the president.

Arias added that he would love the talks to start in Costa Rica, which is expected sometime in September or October of this year and expected to take some 18 to 24 months before any agreement can be reached. "I hope that it won't take too much time", said Arias.

The European director said that one the announcement is made on Saturday (May 13), the commission will meet with the representative of the Central American governments to establish a preliminary timetable that will be combine meetings in Europe, probably Brussels and Central America.

Abadía said that a European trade agreement goes beyond a free trade agreement because the Europeans consider any agreement to be one of political cooperation for the region as well. "Central America has made extraordinary advances over the last several years", said Abadía.

Abadía added that the negotiations could start as early as this July and will be quick, contrary to the words of the Ministro de Comercio Exterior de El Salvador, Eduardo Ayala, who said that a European agreement cannot be implement unless a Unión Aduanera Centroamericana (union of Central American Customs and Duties) agreement is made and extended to the trade deal, which is still several years away.