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REALLY USEFUL RESOURCES
for international trade professionals |
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 OUR FEATURED COUNTRY
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Panama
Trade Promotion Agreement: Pending Congressional Approval
The United States and Panama signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on June 28, 2007. Although Panama approved the treaty on July 11, 2007, the United States Congress has not yet ratified it because of political disagreements about what Panama would have to do to fulfill all necessary conditions of the pact. Now it's done! The U.S. Trade Representative, Ron Kirk, announced last week that Panama had met all the American requests and that Congress was preparing to ratify the treaty in the coming weeks.
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Panama City, Business Center, Panama |
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The FTA is expected to result ultimately in a significant liberalization of trade in goods and services between the two countries by removing certain non-tariff barriers and facilitating customs procedures. With this agreement, U.S. companies should have better access to the Panamanian market, particularly in the financial services sector. Also companies may compete for and obtain public contracts and obtain trade facilitation services.
There are numerous business opportunities in Panama for many foreign companies. Indeed, the Panamanian economy is doing well. The country has one of the growth rates of GDP, the highest in Latin America (6.7% in 2011). In recent years the development of the free trade zone of Colon and the banking and real estate sectors have helped the country weather the worldwide financial crisis. The public expenditure management financed with a $200 million loan approved by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has also helped strengthen investor confidence. Panama is the top receiver of FDI in Central America, with an average annual flow of about 1.75 billion USD.
For more information on the country, you can visit:
• Business Panama
• U.S. Commercial Service Panama Country Commercial Guide
• FITA’s Panama Country Profile of Panama
To help you do business in Panama:
• The Panamanian Association of Entrepreneurs
• The site of the U.S. Embassy in Panama
• The site of the American Chamber of Commerce in Panama
• GlobalTrade.net Panama Miniportal
For information on other countries of the world The FITA "Country Miniportals"
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Sponsor
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International Trade Compliance Conference May 3-5 Wyndham Chicago - Chicago, IL
For Conference Agenda Click Here
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Only a few days left to register! Receive a 10% discount
Don’t miss the opportunity to network and benchmark with 44 industry leaders and government officials from companies including: Monsanto, BP, KLA-Tencor, Meggitt USA, Inc, U.S. Department of Commerce Bureau of Industry and Security, Customs and Border Patrol and many more!
Hear from Aaron Gothelf of Tyco International on Uncovering the Latest Customs Developments and Enforcement Initiatives in the EU.
Read more in this pre conference interview:
Aaron Gothelf
International Trade Counsel
Tyco International
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Contact
Lindsey Silvetti - PR/Marketing Coordinator - (312)540-3000 ext 6754
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 REALLY USEFUL SITES
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ICC and private sector business anti-corruption tools
Your guide to resisting bribery
www.iccwbo.org/policy/anticorruption/
Corruption is everywhere and could damage your international business. The International Chamber of Commerce guidelines can help you to train your employees to identify and cope with it.
One of the ICC's main objectives is to fight corruption by encouraging good practices for international initiatives. The Resisting Extortion and Solicitation in International Transactions (RESIST) initiative was developed in collaboration with Transparency International , the UN Global Compact http://www.unglobalcompact.org/ and the World Economic Forum Partnering Against Corruption Initiative (PACI) http://www.weforum.org/issues/partnering-against-corruption-initiative.
Based on the idea that private-sector convergence can improve good business practices and enforce anti-corruption, RESIST is designed as a training tool to provide practical guidance for company employees on how to prevent and/or respond to an inappropriate demand by a client, business partner or public authority in the most efficient and ethical way.
Download RESIST guide by clicking here.
Also look at the ICC Third Parties Guidelines. The ICC Guidelines on Agents, Intermediaries and Other Third Parties provides companies with concrete advice on how to choose and manage third parties. It gives concrete guidance on how to contract, monitor and pay agents, as well as other intermediaries.
Packaging Machinery: Sustainability and Competitiveness
Benefit from the Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative
trade.gov/competitiveness/sustainablemanufacturing/index.asp
Published in September 2010 by the International Trade Administration of the US Department of Commerce, Packaging Machinery: Sustainability and Competitiveness is the first in a series of SMI (Sustainable Manufacturing Initiative) Sector Focus Studies that look at the sustainability-related challenges, leading practices and unrealized opportunities in specific U.S. industry sectors.
U.S. equipment manufacturers in the packaging supply chain are responding to pressures from stakeholders to improve environmental performance while lowering costs. The publication includes company case studies as well as tips for manufacturers to improve their global competitiveness through sustainable design and manufacturing practices.
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EVENTS AND WEBINARS
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Assisted by:
the U.S. Commercial Service, FITT and the New York Disctirct Export Council |
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SOME UPCOMING INTERNATIONAL TRADE EVENTS
• International Trade Compliance Conference, May 3-5 Wyndham Chicago - Chicago, IL
• World Trade Week Grand Rapids, May 2-5, Grand Rapids, MI
• World Trade Week Los Angeles, May 6-13, Los Angeles, CA
• World Trade Week New York, May 16-20, New York City, NY.
• Futurallia KC 2011, Kansas City, MO, May 18-20 2011
• FITT's 14th International Trade Conference, "The Road to Trade Success," June 7-8, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
SOME UPCOMING COMMERCIAL SERVICE EVENTS
• BRIC Business Outlook Conference, Baltimore, MD, May 2, 2011
• Trade - Texas Style, Dallas, TX, May 3, 2011
• Opportunities for U.S. Businesses in Iraq, Los Angeles, CA May 3, 2011
• China International Environment Protection Exhibition & Conference (CIEPEC), Beijing, China June 7-10, 2011
• Executive-led Trade Mission to South Africa, September 19-23, 2011 Registration deadline is July 18!
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JOB BANK
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Provided by:
Fita Career Headquaters |
FEATURED JOB THIS WEEK
• Trade Compliance Analyst for SABIC Innovative Plastics
• Or click here to browse more than 700 other positions!
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FITA Career HQ is a Job Bank for International Trade Professionals.
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Published by FITA Online, 172 Fifth Ave., #118, Brooklyn, NY 11217 USA.
Copyright © 2011 GlobalTrade SAS. All rights reserved.
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