Costa Rica withdraws from CPTPP bid and dismisses trade minister

Politics · First reported 28 Oct, 19:26 · Updated 13:45

Image: Wikimedia Commons · NASA Johnson Space Center · Public domain

President Laura Fernandez said Costa Rica has withdrawn its application to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) and dismissed Foreign Trade Minister Indiana Trejos, citing a lack of transparency. The decision followed protests from producer groups, particularly in agriculture.

Fernandez announced the withdrawal and Trejos’s dismissal on Wednesday, saying the minister’s removal was due to a lack of transparency. She did not name a replacement.
The decision followed protests from Costa Rican producer groups, especially those in agriculture.
Costa Rica applied to join in 2022 and held more than 100 high-level meetings. The CPTPP formally invited the country in November 2024.
After the invitation, Costa Rica reviewed its regulations against the agreement’s rules and negotiated market access for goods and services.
Fernandez said the agreement’s full contents had been kept secret by negotiators. The CPTPP is described as a 12-member trade bloc accounting for nearly 15% of global GDP.