Safeguards and Antidumping in Latin American

Liberalization

Introduction

Michael FingerDecember 6, 2005

Objective

Bring together persons with similar responsibilities in different countries

• share experiences,

• learn from each others’ experiences

Trade Reform as part of overall Economic Reform

• Privatization, deregulation, • relax restrictions on foreign investment• revise commercial codes, • create a competitive environment in domestic

markets• Macroeconomic balance• Exchange rate management• Control inflation

Government – Industry Understanding

• Degree and amount of international competition

• Reference to WTO rules

• Technical – e.g., WTO rules – to replace political approach to decisions

• (Technical approach as support for liberalization)

Trade reform

• Import licensing,

• Quantitative restrictions,

• High tariffs,

• Special concessions

• Remove the burden import restrictions impose on exporters

• Discipline, stimulus to productivity provided by international competition

Managing the government – industry understanding in the

context of:• Requires mastery of technique – but is a

broader issue of policy management

• An evolving understanding with industry

• Inexact rules

• Ministries within government having different priorities

Julio Nogués – Argentina

• Trade reform as part of overall reform – demands of stabilization (macroeconomic balance) on trade instruments

• The technical approach and the exchange rate – how supportive were WTO rules?

Luz Elena Reyes de la Torre – Mexico

• Sorting acceptable from unacceptable international competition

• Support for exporters subject to safeguard and antidumping investigations in other countries

Richard Webb – Peru

• Trade reform in the context of broader social and economic reform

• Peru’s institutional experience: to create and to preserve a competitive domestic economy

Crux of the conference

Questions, Responses

Audience suggestions:

• support or research that would be useful for you