1.

Investigue sobre los tratados de libre comercio que Colombia tiene

vigentes con los Estados Unidos.
As for its legislative step, to enter validity with legal rigor, itsratification should b
e had supplied on the part of the congresses of theUnited States and Colombia.

From May 15, 2012 there entered validity the free-

trade agreement(TLC) signed by Colombia and the United States with the target
topromote the commerce between two countries. The Treaty affects allthe sect
ors of the economy and the national productive life, betweenthem the TIC.
Likewise, on the subject of direct buyings of foreign products thecitizens will hav
e at its disposal lists of buys, mostly free of tariffs, towhich they can gain access
across the electronic commerce services. In this case it is necessary to bear in
mind that even if the entry taxescan be eliminated, there will always be the cost
s of mailing that canincrease the final value of a product. Here the wholesale im
portershave those of winning because they will be able to offer the habitualprod
ucts, and some others at less price, and the clients will be able tosave the tariffs
and the expenses of direct mailing.
In the United States, at the end of August,
2006 the president GeorgeW. Bush delivered to the Congress of the United Stat
es the final textof the agreement, for its discussion and approval. From April,
2008 the voting for its approval remained deferred after ex-
president Bushwas sending the agreement of an untimely way for its approval,
whatwas considered to be an undue pressure on the part of the DemocraticPart
y in head of the president of the Chamber Nancy Pelosi.
During the presidential campaign of 2008 in the United States thetopic of the ag
reement went out to re-shine in some occasions.
The candidate of that time for the Republican Party of the UnitedStates John Mc
Cain showed in a televised debate its support, whilethe candidate of that time fo
r the Democratic Party of the UnitedStates the President Barack Obama showe
d that it does not seemsuitable to him while in Colombia there persist the violati
ons of the human rights of the trade unionones
On October 21,
2008, the Adviser for Hemispherical Matters of thedemocratic campaign, Dan R
estrepo, showed that Obamaunderstands the importance of Colombia for the U
nited States andthat possibly it might revalue the expediency of the agreement.
The delay in the definitive approval of the TLC, on the part of thecongresses of
both countries, put in predicaments the exporterswho enjoy the tariff benefits of
the Law of Andean TariffPreferences and Eradication of the Drug (ATPDEA).

For his part, the Colombian Congress ratified the TLC, by means oflaw 1143 of
July 4, 2007 and the Constitutional Court, declared itexact to the constitution, on
July 24, 2008, by means of thejudgment C-750 of 2008.
8 In a beginning the agreement wasapproved in the Colombian Congress with t
he denial of the worksurfaces of the opposition of the left and it centred left, in th
eparties of the Alternative Democratic Pole and Colombian LiberalParty,
but later the main opponent of this project would be theCongress of the United
States that did not approve it after theDemocratic Party was reaching the majori
ty in the congress of thiscountry and Bush were changing the positions opposite
to thepolitics of the government. Finally, the agreement betweenColombia and t
he United States, was approved by the House ofRepresentatives and the Ameri
can Senate, on October 12 of 2011. 9
The agreement was approved in VI Summit of the Americas thattook place in C
artagena from April 9 until April 15, 2012, and intentered validity on May 15,
2012.

2. What are the advantages of having signed this TLC?

• Increase and acceleration of the economic growth derived from thebiggest flo
w of capital.
• Increase of the exports, especially those of products and servicesthat were not
considered to be earlier how "traditional"; on themarket.
• Increase of the competitiveness of the national industry derivedfrom the acces
s to new technologies, raw material and knowledgeoriginated from another coun
try to less costs.
• Stability of the labor market in the industrial sector, as thecompanies will need
its personnel plant to produce the goods thatthey will export. Likewise, there exi
sts the possibility of generatingmore employment as the sales are extended on t
he foreign market.
• Increase of the investment confidence.
• Modernization of the State and of the organizations related to theforeign trade.
3. What are the disadvantages?

 As it happens with the advantages, the panorama of difficulties andrisks is not

easy to foresee,
but the experts suggest to pay specialattention to the following points:
 Imbalance of the economy interns and defenselessness ofproductive sectors l
ittle benefited with the negotiation of the Treaty.
 Imbalance on the subject of tributary income, since, on havingeliminated the ta
riffs of entry of foreign products, one would bestopping getting taxes for this co
ncept, what might deepen thenational budget deficit; nevertheless, the analyst
s hope that thismoney should recover for concept of VAT and Tax of Revenue
derivedfrom the biggest movement of the economy.
 little capacity of adaptation of the domestic enterprises opposite tothe internati
onal production standards, generating monopolies andreception of the market
on the part of the North American offer thatbetween to the country.
once the Agreement entered validity, the big opportunity of thebusinessm
en, merchants and in general everything that one thatcould provide a pro
duct or service to the United States takes root inbeing able to gain acces
s to a market of more than three hundredmillion inhabitants with a GDP p
er capita of USD 46.
715, arranged, toobtain the best relation, it cost / he was of benefit
.
Not all the products and services are protected by the TLC, that is tosay,
they not all will be able to spend the borders without payingtariffs. Proexp
ort published the official lists of products and eliminatedtax services, clas
sifying them between farmers and not farmers. Sincewe mention already,
the United States eliminated tax on the entryalmost the totality of the ind
ustrial products produced by Colombia, sowide sectors of the economy w
ill be able to benefit with this Treaty.
With the information contributed by Proexport, El Tiempo it produceda m
ap that locates the business opportunities in the United Statesavailable f
or the national businessmen.