View source for Free Trade Area of the Americas

{{Short description|Failed 2005 trade agreement for North and South America}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2025}}
[[Image:Free Trade Area of the Americas logo.svg|thumb|upright=0.65|The Free Trade Area of the Americas logo, representing the Americas as geometric figures]]

The '''Free Trade Area of the Americas''' ('''FTAA''', {{langx|es|Área de Libre Comercio de las Américas}}, '''ALCA''', [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]: ''Área de Livre Comércio das Américas'', '''ALCA''', [[French language|French]]: Zone de libre-échange des Amériques, '''ZLEA''') was a proposed agreement to eliminate or reduce the [[trade barriers]] among all countries in the [[Americas]], excluding [[Cuba]]. Negotiations to establish the FTAA ended in failure, however, with all parties unable to reach an agreement by the 2005 deadline they had set for themselves.

==History==
===Origins===
Discussions about the Free Trade Area of the Americas began at the [[1st Summit of the Americas|first Summit of the Americas]] in [[Miami]] on December 11, 1994. The FTAA came to public attention during the [[3rd Summit of the Americas|third summit]], held in [[Quebec City]] in 2001, as the meeting was targeted by large [[anti-corporatization]] and [[anti-globalization]] protests. The Miami negotiations in 2003 met similar protests, though not as large.

In the last round of negotiations, trade ministers from 34 countries met in [[Miami]], Florida, in the United States, in November 2003 to discuss the proposal.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ftaa-alca.org/Ministerials/Miami/Miami_e.asp |title= ALCA – FTAA – ZLEA – Ministerial Declaration – Miami 2003 |publisher= Ftaa-alca.org |access-date=2013-08-15}}</ref> The proposed agreement was an extension of the [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (NAFTA) between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Discussions have faltered over similar points as the [[Doha Development Round]] of [[World Trade Organization]] (WTO) talks; developed nations sought expanded trade in [[Service Sector|services]] and increased [[intellectual property]] rights, while less developed nations sought an end to [[agricultural subsidy|agricultural subsidies]] and free trade in agricultural goods. Similar to the WTO talks, Brazil took a leadership role among the less developed nations, while the United States took a similar role for the developed nations.

===Disagreements===
In previous negotiations, the United States had pushed for a single comprehensive agreement to reduce trade barriers for goods, while increasing intellectual property protection. Specific intellectual property protections could include [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act]] style copyright protections similar to the [[U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement]]. Another protection would likely have restricted the importation or cross importation of pharmaceuticals, similar to the proposed agreement between the United States and Canada. Brazil posed a three-track approach that called for a series of bilateral agreements to reduce specific tariffs on goods, a hemispheric pact on [[rules of origin]], and a dispute resolution process Brazil proposed to omit the more controversial issues from the FTA, leaving them to the WTO.

The location of the FTA Secretariat was to have been determined in 2005. The contending cities were: [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]], [[Chicago]], [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], [[Houston, Texas|Houston]], [[San Juan, Puerto Rico|San Juan]], and [[Miami]] in the United States; [[Cancún]] and [[Puebla, Puebla|Puebla]] in Mexico; [[Panama City]], Panama; and [[Port of Spain]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]]. The U.S. city of [[Colorado Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs]] also submitted its candidacy in the early days but subsequently withdrew.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ftaa-alca.org/tnc/candidate_e.asp |title=ALCA – FTA – ZLEA – Candidate Cities for the Permanent Site of the FTAA Secretariat |publisher=Ftaa-alca.org |access-date=2013-08-15}}</ref> Miami, Panama City and Puebla served successively an interim secretariat headquarters during the negotiation process.

The last summit was held at [[Mar del Plata]], Argentina, in November 2005, but no agreement on FTA was reached. Of the 39 countries present at the negotiations, 20 pledged to meet again in 2006 to resume negotiations, but no meeting took place. The failure of the Mar del Plata summit to establish a comprehensive FTA agenda augured poorly.

===Current status===
The FTAA missed the targeted deadline of 2005, which followed the stalling of useful negotiations of the [[World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 2005]].<ref>[http://www.trinidadexpress.com/index.pl/article?id=161362709]{{dead link|date=August 2013}}</ref> Over the next few years, some governments, most notably the United States, not wanting to lose any chance of hemispheric trade expansion moved in the direction of establishing a series of bilateral trade deals. The leaders planned further discussions at the [[6th Summit of the Americas]] in Cartagena, Colombia in 2012, but these discussions did not take place.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.blacklistednews.com/news-1032-0-9-9--.html |title=Archived copy |access-date=2008-11-18 |archive-date=2022-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220116131647/https://www.blacklistednews.com/news-1032-0-9-9--.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.afsc.org/ht/d/sp/i/267/pid/267 |title=About AFSC &#124; Friends Service Committee |publisher=Afsc.org |access-date=2013-08-15 |archive-date=2010-04-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100408125623/http://www.afsc.org/ht/d/sp/i/267/pid/267 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

As of 2022, U.S. trade policy reflected a withdrawal from a reliance on trade agreements, with a preference for smaller bilateral deals.<ref>[https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/the-future-of-us-latin-america-trade-2210575/ The future of US-Latin America trade relations: What can we achieve in the next few years?] Accessed February 25, 2025</ref>

==Planned membership==
The following countries were planned to be part of the Free Trade Area of the Americas:<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ftaa-alca.org/busfac/clist_e.asp |title=ALCA – FTAA – ZLEA – Links to FTAA Countries |publisher=Ftaa-alca.org |access-date=2013-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100627125320/http://www.ftaa-alca.org/busfac/clist_e.asp |archive-date=2010-06-27 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width = 33%}}
* {{flagcountry|Antigua and Barbuda}}
* {{flagcountry|Argentina}}
* {{flagcountry|Bahamas}}
* {{flagcountry|Barbados}}
* {{flagcountry|Belize}}
* {{flagcountry|Bolivia}}
* {{flagcountry|Brazil}}
* {{flagcountry|Canada}}
* {{flagcountry|Chile}}
* {{flagcountry|Colombia}}
* {{flagcountry|Costa Rica}}
* {{flagcountry|Dominica}}
{{col-break|width = 33%}}
* {{flagcountry|Dominican Republic}}
* {{flagcountry|Ecuador}}
* {{flagcountry|El Salvador}}
* {{flagcountry|Grenada}}
* {{flagcountry|Guatemala}}
* {{flagcountry|Guyana}}
* {{flagcountry|Haiti}}
* {{flagcountry|Honduras}}
* {{flagcountry|Jamaica}}
* {{flagcountry|Mexico}}
* {{flagcountry|Nicaragua}}
{{col-break|width = 33%}}
* {{flagcountry|Panama}}
* {{flagcountry|Paraguay}}
* {{flagcountry|Peru}}
* {{flagcountry|Saint Kitts and Nevis}}
* {{flagcountry|Saint Lucia}}
* {{flagcountry|Saint Vincent and the Grenadines}}
* {{flagcountry|Suriname}}
* {{flagcountry|Trinidad and Tobago}}
* {{flagcountry|United States}}
* {{flagcountry|Uruguay}}
* {{flagcountry|Venezuela}}
{{col-end}}

==Support and opposition==
A vocal critic of the FTAA was Venezuelan president [[Hugo Chávez]], who has described it as an "[[annexation]] plan" and a "tool of [[imperialism]]" for the exploitation of South America.<ref name="crwflags1">{{cite web|url=http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/int-bapa.html |title=Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) |publisher=Crwflags.com |access-date=2013-08-15}}</ref> As a counterproposal to this initiative, Chávez promoted the [[Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas]] (''Alianza Bolivariana para las Américas'', ALBA) which emphasizes energy and infrastructure agreements among underdeveloped American nations.<ref name="crwflags1"/> [[Evo Morales]] of Bolivia has referred to the U.S.-backed Free Trade Area of the Americas, as "an agreement to legalize the colonization of the Americas".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://upsidedownworld.org/main/bolivia-archives-31/38-an-interview-with-evo-morales-120803 |title=An Interview with Evo Morales (12/08/03) |publisher=Upsidedownworld.org |date=2005-10-16 |access-date=2013-08-15}}</ref>

On the other hand, the then presidents of Brazil, [[Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva]], and Argentina, [[Néstor Kirchner]], have stated that they do not oppose the FTAA but they do demand that the agreement provide for the elimination of U.S. agriculture [[subsidy|subsidies]], the provision of effective access to foreign markets and further consideration towards the needs and sensibilities of its members.<ref>{{cite web |last=Gill |first=Nathan |url=http://www.southernaffairs.org/2008_04_01_archive.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080408141442/http://www.southernaffairs.org/2008_04_01_archive.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2008-04-08 |title=April 2008 |publisher=Southern Affairs |access-date=2013-08-15 }}</ref>

One of the most contentious issues of the treaty proposed by the United States is with concerns to [[patent]]s and [[copyright]]s. Critics claim that if the measures proposed by the United States were implemented and applied this would reduce scientific research in underdeveloped countries of the Americas. On the [[Council of Canadians]] web site, [[Maude Barlow]] wrote: "This agreement sets enforceable global rules on patents, copyrights and trademark. It has gone far beyond its initial scope of protecting original inventions or cultural products and now permits the practice of patenting plants and animal forms as well as seeds. It promotes the private rights of corporations over local communities and their genetic heritage and traditional medicines".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ratical.org/co-globalize/MBonFTAA.html|title=Council of Canadians: Campaigns: Trade and Investment: Publications: The Free Trade Area of the Americas|author=Maude Barlow|website=ratical.org|access-date=2020-03-02}}</ref>

On the weekend of April 20, 2001, the [[3rd Summit of the Americas]] was a [[Summit (meeting)|summit]] held in [[Quebec City]], Canada. This international meeting was a round of negotiations regarding a proposed FTAA.

==Agreements==
There are currently 34 countries in the Western Hemisphere, stretching from Canada to Chile that still have the FTAA as a long-term goal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://actrav.itcilo.org/actrav-english/telearn/global/ilo/blokit/ftaa.htm |title=Free Trade Area of Americas (FTAA) |publisher=Actrav.itcilo.org |date=1997-05-16 |access-date=2013-08-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100518105444/http://actrav.itcilo.org/actrav-english/telearn/global/ilo/blokit/ftaa.htm |archive-date=2010-05-18 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Implementation of a full multilateral FTAA between all parties could be made possible by enlargement of existing agreements.  At this point Agreements within the Area of the Americas include:

===Previous agreements===
* Canada: [[Canada–United States Free Trade Agreement]] (1988; superseded by the NAFTA)
* Canada, Mexico and United States: [[North American Free Trade Agreement]] (1994; superseded by the USMCA)
* Costa Rica- Dominican Republic (superseded by [[DR-CAFTA]])
* Costa Rica- Trinidad and Tobago (superseded by a Costa Rica – [[CARICOM]] FTA).

=== Current agreements ===
{{unreferenced section|date=June 2022}}
* Canada, Mexico and United States: [[United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement]] (USMCA; 2020)
* Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic and United States: [[Dominican Republic–Central America Free Trade Agreement]] (DR-CAFTA; 2008)
* Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru: [[Pacific Alliance]] (2012)
* [[Chile–United States Free Trade Agreement]] (2004)
* [[Peru–United States Trade Promotion Agreement]] (2007)
* [[United States–Colombia Free Trade Agreement]] (2011)
* [[Panama–United States Trade Promotion Agreement]] (2011)
* Canada – Chile
* Canada – Colombia
* Canada – Costa Rica
* Canada – Honduras
* Canada – Panama
* Canada – Peru
* Chile – Mexico
* Chile – Costa Rica
* Colombia – CARICOM
* Colombia – Costa Rica
* Colombia – [[Northern Triangle]]
* Costa Rica – Mexico
* Costa Rica – CARICOM
* Mexico – Nicaragua
* Mexico – Uruguay
* Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay – [[Mercosur]] (1991)
* Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru – [[Andean Community]] (1969)

===Proposed agreements===
; Active negotiations
* Canada-CARICOM:<ref>[http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/caricom.aspx] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520092612/http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/caricom.aspx|date=May 20, 2011}}</ref>
* Canada-Central America (CA4TA – Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras)<ref>[http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/ca4.aspx] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520092623/http://www.international.gc.ca/trade-agreements-accords-commerciaux/agr-acc/ca4.aspx|date=May 20, 2011}}</ref>
* Canada-Mexico-Peru-Chile [among other Pacific nations]: [[Trans-Pacific Partnership]]

; Negotiations on hold
* CARICOM-[[Mercosur]]:<ref>[http://www.mfaft.gov.jm/?q=trade-agreements-to-which-jamaica-is-a-party] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110417180131/http://www.mfaft.gov.jm/?q=trade-agreements-to-which-jamaica-is-a-party|date=April 17, 2011}}</ref>
* United States-Ecuador: [[US-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement|U.S.-Ecuador Free Trade Agreement]]
* CARICOM-North American Free Trade Agreement, first discussed in 1993–1994<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.silvertorch.com/gonsales-1.html |title=Caricom And Nafta |publisher=Silvertorch.com |access-date=2015-09-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016074607/http://www.silvertorch.com/gonsales-1.html |archive-date=2015-10-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Security pacts==
* United States-Central America-Mexico ([[Mérida Initiative]]){{update inline|date=February 2017}} <!-- still active in 2017? -->
* United States-CARICOM-Dominican Republic ([[Partnership for Prosperity and Security in the Caribbean]]{{update inline|date=February 2017}} <!-- still active in 2017? -->

==See also==
* [[Rules of origin]]
*[[Market access]]
*[[Free-trade area]]
*[[Tariffs]]
* [[Miami model]]
* [[Pacific Alliance]]
* [[Protection of Broadcasts and Broadcasting Organizations Treaty]]
* [[Transatlantic Free Trade Area]] (TAFTA)
* [[Community of Latin American and Caribbean States]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/10406/1/ |title=Brazil: More Power to Quilombos |publisher=Brazzilmag.com |date=2004-08-25 |access-date=2015-09-20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117024910/http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/10406/1/ |archive-date=2015-11-17 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Goodman |first=Joshua |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601080&sid=azzqp51ik6lw&refer=asia |title=Bush Excluded by Latin Summit as China, Russia Loom (Update1) |publisher=Bloomberg |date=2008-12-15 |access-date=2015-09-20}}</ref><ref>[http://news.bn.gs/article.php?story=20081218113939727]{{dead link|date=September 2015}}</ref><ref>[http://www.mexidata.info/id2109.html]{{dead link|date=September 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://australia.to/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2160%3Amario-osava&catid=71%3Aworld-news&Itemid=30 |title=Kagan: Shifting the Supreme Court to the Right? |website=australia.to |access-date=13 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120219231415/http://australia.to/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2160%3Amario-osava&catid=71%3Aworld-news&Itemid=30 |archive-date=19 February 2012 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Union of South American Nations]]

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101125005605/http://www.ftaa-alca.org/ The Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) process] official home page (2010 archive)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Free trade agreements of the United States |state=uncollapsed}}
{{Pan-Americanism}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Free Trade Area Of The Americas}}
[[Category:Free trade agreements of the United States|FTAA]]
[[Category:Foreign relations of Argentina]]
[[Category:Politics of the Americas]]
[[Category:Trade blocs]]
[[Category:United States federal trade legislation]]
[[Category:Proposed free trade agreements]]
[[Category:Free-trade areas]]
[[Category:Foreign trade of Argentina]]
[[Category:2000s in North America]]
[[Category:2000s in Central America]]
[[Category:2000s in South America]]
[[Category:History of the Americas]]
[[Category:Economic history of North America]]
[[Category:Economic history of South America]]