Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos thanked the U.S. Congress for agreeing to move forward discussions about the bilateral free trade agreement (FTA) on Tuesday.
“I thank the North American Congress, the Senator [Max] Baucus for the decision to now initiate the discussion about the free trade agreement in that very important body, and it was a step that we were waiting for and I also want to express gratitude,” said Santos during a security council meeting in Tierralta, Cordoba.
The U.S. Senate Finance Committee affirmed Tuesday that it will begin reviewing the FTA this week, and also agreed to renew the pro-labor action plan, or Trade Adjustment Assistance Plan, which helps retrain workers displaced by trade, as part of the agreement, despite resistance from many Republicans.
The U.S.-Colombia FTA has been pending ratification since 2006, and has made significant progress over the course of 2011, following a plan of action laid out by the two countries in April.