The Panama–United States Trade Promotion Agreement (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

: ''Tratado de Libre Comercio entre Panamá y Estados Unidos'' or ''TLC'') is a bilateral

free trade agreement A free-trade agreement (FTA) or treaty is an agreement according to international law to form a free-trade area between the cooperating states. There are two types of trade agreements: bilateral and multilateral. Bilateral trade agreements occ ...

between

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

that has been in effect since October 2012. Stated objectives include eliminating obstacles to trade, consolidating access to goods and services and favoring private investment in and between both nations. Apart from commercial issues, it incorporates economic, institutional, intellectual-property, labor and environmental policies, among others. The negotiations were officially completed on December 19, 2006, though elements were still to be renegotiated. The agreement was signed on 28 June 2007, and Panama's National Assembly ratified it the following 11 July, before the 1200-page document had been translated into Spanish.

Concerns

The treaty has been said to be one of the main reasons for 2012 changes to copyright law of Panama, changes which have attracted a number of criticism from

free culture The free-culture movement is a social movement that promotes the freedom to distribute and modify the creative works of others in the form of free content or Free content, open content without compensation to, or the consent of, the work's origin ...

and

digital rights Digital rights are those human rights and legal rights that allow individuals to access, use, create, and publish digital media or to access and use computers, other electronic devices, and telecommunications networks. The concept is particula ...

activists. The activists have criticized the U.S. government for giving in to the entertainment industry by putting pressure on Panama and other Latin American countries, forcing them to adopt what they see as less progressive copyright bills, infringing on

free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...

in detriment to the public interest. On September 1, 2007, Pedro Miguel González Pinzón, who had been indicted by a U.S. grand jury for the murder of United States Army Sgt. Zak Hernández, was elected

President of the National Assembly of Panama List of presidents of the National Assembly of Panama. Below is a list of office-holders from 1956: References {{reflist Sources

*Corte Nacional Electoral, http://bdigital.binal.ac.pa/bdp/descarga.php?f=Palabras%20Llanas.pdf Government ...

. Several members of the U.S. Congress stated that they would oppose the treaty while he held the post. González's appointment also caused controversy within Panama, particularly due to its threatening of the free trade pact. In one poll, most Panamanians stated that González should step down. However, González's backers stated that the U.S. opposition to his leadership was another chapter in a long history of American interference in Panamanian affairs, and rejected it as inappropriate. Former Panamanian President

Guillermo Endara Guillermo David Endara Galimany (May 12, 1936 – September 28, 2009) was a Panamanian politician who served as the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. Raised in a family allied to Panameñista Party founder Arnulfo Arias, Endara attended ...

stated that he believed González to be guilty of the murder, though he opposed the trade agreement. President Martín Torrijos, a fellow PRD member who had negotiated the trade pact, made a private request for González to resign, but avoided publicly criticizing him. On March 7, 2008, it was announced that González would not seek reelection as head of the National Assembly when his term ended on August 31.

Approval

In the 112th U.S. Congress, the ascendancy of the Republican Party in the House of Representative led to new pressures to approve all three pending

fast track The fast track is an informal English term meaning "the quickest and most direct route to achievement of a goal, as in competing for professional advancement". By definition, it implies that a less direct, slower route also exists. Fast track or F ...

free trade agreements (Colombia, Panama, and South Korea). Finally, in October 2011, President Obama submitted the three trade pacts to the Congress, and they were quickly passed. On October 12, 2011, the U.S.-Panama TPA was passed in the House by a vote of 300-129 () and in the Senate by a vote of 77-22 (). President Obama signed the pact on October 21, 201
(P.L. 112-43, 125 Stat. 427)
and the agreement entered into force October 31, 2012.
Every CRSReport, 8 Nov 2012, retrieved 22 Mar 2020

Criticism

On October 12, 2011, Senator Bernie Sanders ( I- VT) criticized the Panama-United States Trade Promotion Agreement, arguing that

is a world leader in

tax evasion Tax evasion is an illegal attempt to defeat the imposition of taxes by individuals, corporations, trusts, and others. Tax evasion often entails the deliberate misrepresentation of the taxpayer's affairs to the tax authorities to reduce the tax ...

and avoidance." After the Panama Papers leak on April 3, 2016, by the

International Consortium of Investigative Journalists The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, Inc. (ICIJ), is an independent global network of 280 investigative journalists and over 140 media organizations spanning more than 100 countries. It is based in Washington, D.C. with ...

and '' Süddeutsche Zeitung'', Sanders' criticism of the Panama Free Trade Agreement was brought back as a talking point.

References

External links

U.S. International Trade Commission Report on U.S.-Panama TPA.

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20131203005852/https://opencrs.com/document/RL32540/ The U.S.-Panama Free Trade Agreement

Congressional Research Service The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a public policy research institute of the United States Congress. Operating within the Library of Congress, it works primarily and directly for members of Congress and their committees and staff on a ...

.
TradeRoots Fact Sheets
{{DEFAULTSORT:Panama-United States Trade Promotion Agreement 2007 in Panama 2007 in the United States Economy of Panama Free trade agreements Free trade agreements of the United States Panama–United States relations Trade blocs Treaties concluded in 2007 Treaties of Panama

Concerns

Approval

Criticism

See also

References

External links