CONGRESSIONAL ACTION ON ATPDEA EXTENSION APPLAUDED AS CLOCK TICKS TOWARD FEBRUARY 29 DEADLINE

Washington, DC. The U.S. House of Representatives voted today to extend trade preferences for 10 months to Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru today through the Andean Trade Preferences and Drug Eradication Act (ATPDEA). The legislation must also be passed in the Senate before the February 29 expiration date in order for the preferences to remain in effect.

Below is the statement of Ecuador’s Ambassador to the United States.

STATEMENT OF AMBASSADOR LUIS GALLEGOS

The government of Ecuador is satisfied to see action by the House of Representatives to extend the trade preferences before the February 29th deadline. Although a longer extension would be preferred to allow businesses and investors to plan ahead, Congress is sending a clear signal that it understands the importance of this program and the urgency of its renewal.

Jobs created by ATPDEA support more than 1.4 million people in rural Ecuador by providing 350,000 heads of household with employment in areas that otherwise would be susceptible to the drug trade or forced to emigrate to other countries. Ecuador remains the only country in the region with zero coca cultivation thanks to the alternative industries that have flourished under the preferences program.

ATPDEA has also created hundreds of thousands of US jobs in the import, transportation and retail industries. Ecuadorean textiles use 90 percent American cotton and our floral industry relies on US companies to supply seeds, machinery and packaging for Ecuadorean exports.

This program strengthens the ties between our two nations. Businesses here and there need the security and stability that ATPDEA provides to ensure that the free flow of commerce – with the jobs and consumer benefits it creates – continues. It is now up to the U.S. Senate to take swift action so that this critical program does not lapse.

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