House Extends Andean Trade Preferences
It was a down-to-the-wire decision. But the U.S. House of Representatives voted to give a short-term extension to a trade agreement that affects four Andean countries.
The 365–59 vote on June 27 prolonged for eight months the Andean Trade Promotion and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA), which gives duty-free preference to thousands of products, including apparel and footwear, coming from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The U.S. Senate was expected to approve the agreement, which expires June 30.
This is a stop-gap measure while the United States finishes up free-trade agreements with Colombia and Peru. The act was signed in 1991 to beef up these countries’ economies and steer them away from producing and transporting drugs. —Deborah Belgum
