Dominican Senate ramrods Free Trade bills

http://www.dominicantoday.com 01/11/06

SANTO DOMINGO.- In a race against the clock which aims to pave the way for the Free Trade Agreement with the United States and Central America (Dr-Cafta) takes effect at the end of this month or in the first days of December, the Dominican Senate yesterday approved, in first debate and to unanimously, the bill to implement the commercial pact.

Moments before the session, the ministers of the Presidency, Danilo Medina, and Technical, Temístocles Montás, met with the senators to remind them of the urgency to approve the legislative package.

The speed which those bills demand seemed to have persuaded the legislators, because Reinaldo Pared pointed that in president Leonel Fernandez’s visit to the U.S., its authorities stated that if Dominican Republic expedited its discussion on the set of norms and managed to approved them before November 15, there was the possibility that the FTA would take effect in those dates.

The package approved contains the modification of the Law 20-00 on industrial property and the changes to article 32 of the Penal Procedural Code, which allows exerting the action in the matter of trademark crimes, at the option of the interested party, as criminal action or private action.

The senators also approved Law 65-00 on copyright and General Law Telecommunications.