Belize Business News

The Mexican trade mission is to make visit to Belize jurisdiction on May 15-18, in collaboration with the Trade and Investment Mexican Agency, ProMexico. The purpose of the visit is trade promotion and identification of potenital buyers and suppliers of various products and/or services.

Among the Mexican business people and companies that are included in the delegation are: Adrian Manuel Xeque Solis; Botanas y Frituras del Sureste La Lupita; Fábrica de Postes; Galletera Richaud Hermanos, Inco Peninsular; Industrias Metalo Yucateca; Mitchel Salchichonería Alemana; Productos Richaud, Sayer Lack Mexicana; Septi-K; and Victor Manuel Pat Rodriguez. The products include: hurricane shutters, reinforced concrete poles, wood and metal furniture, pipes, biodigestor tanks, coating, jewellery, plastic bottles, and snacks and caramels.

On May 16, the delegation will be at the Mexican Embassy in Belmopan, and on May 17 it will be at the Institute of Mexico in Belize City, to meet with Belizean counterparts, government officials and representatives of various organizations.

At the end of April, the delegations from Belize and Guatemala, headed by Foreign Ministers of these countries, Wilfred Elrington and Harold Caballeros, met with the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza. The purpose of the meeting was to determine the date on which the simultaneous referenda will take place in Belize and Guatemala, which will concern the single issue in compliance with the special agreement between the two countries to submit Guatemala’s territorial, insular and maritime claim to the International Court of Justice.

The Foreign Ministers of the countries agreed that the simultaneous referenda will take place on October 6, 2013. Also, they stated that they would now take the necessary steps to begin informing the populations of their countries as to the territorial dispute and the need to find a solution.

In June, the ministers will convene a high-level meeting to examine compliance with the confidence-building measures, and to identify measures of strengthening cooperation between the inhabitants of the Belize-Guatemala Adjacency Zone.

On April 16, 2012, the Belize Mayors Association had its post-elections meeting. A new executive was elected for the year 2012-2013. Mayor Simeon Lopez from the City of Belmopan was elected as President. The new Vice President is Mayor Darrell Bradley from Belize City. Mayor Daniel Guerrero was elected as Secretary of the Association and Mayor Kevin Bernard of Orange Walk Town was elected as Treasurer.

The Ministry of Local Government, Labor, Rural Development and NEMO was represented by Director of Local Government, Mr. Eugene Palacio, who liaises with the Association. All Mayors committed themselves to good governance, transparency, accountability and to adherance to the principles of best practices.

Belize was removed from the “black list” of countries considered to be uncooperative in tax matters that has been recently updated by French Finance Minister François Baroin and Budget Minister Valérie Pécresse.

The revised 2012 list is confirmed in a French government decree dated April 4, published in the country’s official journal dated April 12, 2012. The blacklist has retroactive effect from January 1, 2012. It includes 8 jurisdictions: Brunei, Guatamala, Marshall Islands, Montserrat, Nauru, Niue, the Philippines, and Botswana.

In accordance with the 2012 decree, 11 jurisdictions were removed from this list. Along with Belize, the following jurisdictions were excluded: Anguilla, Costa Rica, Dominica, Grenada, Cook Islands, the Turk and Caicos Islands, Liberia, Oman, Panama and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.