Andean Community orders Colombia and Ecuador to lift cross-border trade curbs
The Andean Community's general secretariat ruled that the trade restrictions Colombia and Ecuador have imposed on each other are inconsistent with bloc law and must be lifted. The decision could clear shipments that have been piling up at customs in recent weeks.
The Lima-based Andean Community general secretariat ruled that the curbs Colombia and Ecuador have imposed on each other for agricultural products and manufactured goods breach the 1969 Cartagena Agreement. The order gives both members a short window to roll back the measures.
Colombian exporters say hundreds of containers carrying tomato paste, dairy and furniture have sat at the border for weeks. Quito argues its measures legitimately protect domestic farmers, though the government said it is studying the secretariat's reasoning.
The case is a high-profile test of the bloc's enforcement powers. If the dispute is not resolved quickly, business groups and local officials warn that trade ties between two of the bloc's largest economies could fragment into bilateral haggling.
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