Not eligible for money from CAFTA

[NewsWhore]

The Dominican Republic and Guatemala are the only two countries in DR-CAFTA that have not been able to access money from the Millennium Account because of internal issues. This is based on some 20 indicators, according to Jose E. Signoret, the director of the Office for Strengthening Commercial Capacity, part of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Chief among these indicators are issues concerning corruption, governance, and improving the general population's quality of life. According to Signoret, "a country does not have to score high on all 20 indicators, but there are some that are critical for the Dominican Republic". Because the DR has a higher per capita income than Honduras and Nicaragua, there are stricter rules to follow, according to an article in Listin Diario. In light of the latest report that covered October and November 2007, the official was asked how the 2007 numbers compared to the 2005 numbers. Signoret said that "the indicators have not moved much and the problem is that they have stayed more or less the same". Duty Greene, USAID/Dominican Republic's Economic Policy Advisor, told reporters that the three main criteria are governance, the economy and the social sectors (education and health). The economist said that the reduction in the time needed to start a business was encouraging, but the major problem was in the indicators on corruption.

More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#7)