In the event that congresses of other countries ratify the treaty and the one in Costa Rica is delayed, the Costa Rican entrepreneurs could not sell their products to the Old World with the tax cuts, which their competitors in the region would benefit from, said Duenas.
Those who would be most affected would be the growers. The disadvantages would fall on exports like bananas, pineapples, among others.
Of course, the starting signal for countries to make their ratifications is approval from the European Union, said the ambassador, who anticipated that this approval will be given in June.
From that moment on the treaty will take force, for each country where the legislative offices gave approval.
Tomas Dueñas said that the European Union is close to ratifying treaties with Colombia and Peru, which adds pressure to the competition for their market.
"If Costa Rica is taking longer than it should, at this point other countries could enter, for example, Guatemala, may ratify it and start a preferential sugar export and they will split us in half," said the diplomat.
Product marketers in Europe would tend to import cheaper products from other countries that enjoy tax cuts, he continued.
In the case of bananas, tariffs will drop gradually until it hits zero.
"You have to remember that trade with Europe is largely agricultural, it is socially very important," said the ambassador.
Source: La nación