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Free Trade Area of the Americas
Ministers approve framework for selecting secretatiat city
By Peter Zalewski
November 21, 2003
Miami and other cities competing to host the Free Trade Area of the Americas secretariat will be judged using a 10-point criteria approved by trade ministers on Thursday, which includes transportation and quality of life.
A source close to the negotiations who asked not to be named said the ministers approved the so-called “Miami Declaration” late Thursday and would make a formal announcement today.
The two-page document obtained by The Daily Business Review calls for cities to be judged by specific issues such as the number of airline flights to FTAA countries and how quick secretariat visitors will get immigration clearance.
The long-anticipated document establishes the criteria to be used to select the city to host the FTAA’s administrative headquarters.
Miami, Panama City, Panama; Puebla, Mexico; and Atlanta have filed applications. Others that may apply include Port of Spain, Trinidad; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Colorado Springs. The deadline for applications was Thursday.
The cities are required to respond to a detailed request for information based on the criteria agreed to by ministers. The cities are to provide detailed answers by March 1. The proposals will be evaluated by a FTAA subcommittee made up of vice trade ministers.
The secretariat city is expected to be selected at the next ministerial meeting, to be held in Brazil in the fall of 2004.
The lobbying for the secretariat began more than a year ago. As the January 2005 deadline for the launch of the FTAA nears it has become more aggressive. Boosters for Miami and other cities have been marketing themselves to business groups and government leaders without knowing the exact criteria.
With the approval of the criteria, applicant cities will be able to fine-tune their efforts and build a more solid case to support their campaigns.
“Just getting any information about the next stage in this process is good news for us,” said Rose Raus, a spokeswoman for Atlanta: Gateway to the Americas, the group promoting Georgia’s bid for the secretariat. “We look forward to seeing what the criteria is and develop a proposal.”
The document outlines a number of characteristics for a host city. Among them, the local airport must offer sufficient numbers of flights throughout the Americas, a sufficient road system must be in place for domestic travel and enough hotel rooms should be available to host major events. Other critical elements include a sophisticated telecommunications system and a concentration of consulates and embassies to deal with international issues.
The applicant cities will also have to detail their security capabilities and strategies for translating FTAA documents into English, French, Portuguese and Spanish.
The criteria also calls for cities to provide high levels of health care, cultural activities and business centers.
The most important aspect may be the financial commitment that each applicant city is willing to promise. Each city must submit a plan detailing economic incentives and other financial commitments that will be provided to support the secretariat’s operations.
Miami boosters, through the nonprofit FTAA Florida, have stepped up their efforts by trying to convince competing cities to drop their bids.
Florida officials, including executive director Jorge Arrizurieta, met informally this week with officials from Panama City, and have plans to meet today with the Mexican delegation in an effort to convince them to withdraw.
“We begin by reminding them politically what they already know,” Arrizurieta said. “We tell them, ‘If you honor us with this distinction this will only help us to help you further.’ That resonates in the minds of most of the countries. By nature, the elected officials respond to that.”
He said ministers are well aware that Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is the brother of President George W. Bush.
He said FTAA Florida is leveraging the bilateral trade agreements sought by countries such as Panama, Ecuador and Peru to bolster support for Miami.
The Panamanian embassy in Washington, D.C., referred questions to the country’s minister of commerce, who is in Miami. The minister could not be reached for comment before deadline.
Calls to the Mexico’s consulate in Miami were not returned.
Staff writer Oscar Pedro Musibay contributed to this report.
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