This fine report is a must for businessmen who are doing business with and in Latin America, as well as those companies and individuals who are contemplating a business venture in the Latin American Free Trade Area. Government officials, scholars, and students can also benefit immeasurably by reading it.
The document consists of eleven chapters or “sections,” and their headings clearly indicate the scope and practical nature of this excellent summary of LAFTA: 1. Background to LAFTA, 2. Institutional Structure, 3. The National Lists, 4. The Common List, 5. Complementation Agreements, 6. Other Methods of Integration, 7. Local Content Requirements, 8. Other LAFTA Problems, 9. Transportation, 10. Financial Roadblocks, 11. How Firms Organize for LAFTA. The Appendices are most helpful because they provide the reader with the “name and numbers” of the officials and their offices—convenience, indeed, for those who wish to pursue the increasing opportunities throughout LAFTA.
As the introduction states, “LAFTA will eventually become a full-fledged common market. Its 10 members together now have a population of about 200 million, a gross national product of over $75 billion, and a total import market of over $7 billion.”
