The government of Ecuador announced Thursday that it is raising tariffs on Colombian imports from 50 to 100 percent come May 1, marking the latest escalation in the ongoing trade dispute between the two neighboring nations.
Over the past months, the administrations of Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa and far-left Colombian President Gustavo Petro have found themselves embroiled in a trade and diplomatic impasse after Noboa imposed a series of tariffs on Colombia, citing a lack of cooperation from the Colombian government in the fight against drug trafficking and illegal mining and a bilateral trade deficit against Ecuador.
On Thursday, the Ecuadorian Production Ministry informed through an official statement that Ecuador found itself “forced” to raise a “security fee” tariff on Colombian imports from 50 to 100 percent — effective May 1 — after it determined that Colombia has “failed to implement concrete and effective border security measures.” Ecuador’s National Customs Service (Senae) formally published the upcoming tariff hike on Friday morning.
“This measure is based on national security considerations and aims to strengthen shared responsibility in a joint effort to combat drug trafficking along the border,” The Ministry’s statement read.
“For Ecuador, security — along with the fight against corruption and drug trafficking — is a nonnegotiable priority. This measure reaffirms the country’s commitment to protecting its citizens and safeguarding the integrity of its territory,” the statement continued.
President Noboa, in a social media post Thursday night, lamented that it is “impossible” to reach agreements with “those who do not share the same commitment to fighting narco-terrorism.”
“Since we took this measure [tariffs on Colombia], violent deaths on the northern border have fallen by 33 percent. In the future, we will be able to engage in dialogue with a government that is truly committed to combating crime and drug trafficking,” Noboa wrote.
Gustavo Petro, who is in the final months of his administration, described Ecuador’s decision as “simply a monstrosity,” and declared that it marks the end of the Andean Community, a regional trade bloc made up of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. He urged his Foreign Minister, Rosa Villavicencio, to initiate proceedings towards joining as full members of the regional Mercosur trade bloc and to “steer us toward the Caribbean and Central America with greater force.”
In a social media rant late Thursday night, Petro asserted that he has “shown the utmost patience in enduring the Ecuadorian president’s insults against me and my people” and summoned Colombian ambassador to Quito María Antonia Velasco back to Colombia. Petro also announced that his next cabinet meeting will be held at a point on the border with Ecuador.
“The president of Ecuador insults the Colombian government that has seized more cocaine than at any point in world history,” Petro’s lengthy message read in part.
“President Noboa insults the Colombian president who today announces to the country the reduction in hectares of coca leaf cultivation in Colombia, which hadn’t been achieved since 2018,” he continued.
Colombian Foreign Minister Villavicencio, for her part, condemned the decision by describing it as “shortsightedness driven by anti-progressive ideology,” and said that while Ecuador has every right to define its own course, breaking with the Andean Community “weakens decades of integration that have benefited our peoples.”
Ecuador’s “security fee” tariff on Colombia, originally imposed in February at a 30 percent rate, was raised to 50 percent in March before its upcoming rise to 100 percent in May. Ecuador has reportedly argued that the tariff is necessary because the country must invest some $400 million extra to safeguard its 600 kilometer-wide border from organized crime and drug trafficking gangs operating in the area, as well as illegal mining and human trafficking organizations.
Since February, the ongoing trade dispute between the two countries has seen Colombia impose 50 percent reciprocal tariffs on Ecuador and the suspension of energy sales to the neighboring nation. In late February, Ecuador imposed a 900-percent tariff hike on Colombian oil transiting through the nation’s pipeline system, going from $3 per barrel to $30.
According to Ecuadorian outlets, imports of petroleum and power generation equipment remain duty-free in the ongoing trade dispute, but Colombia’s suspension on the sale of electricity to Ecuador remains in effect since January.
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