A roundtable event was held on June 8,2012 in our Miami office to discuss the political and economic impact that the Free Trade Agreement between Colombia and the United States will have on South Florida.

Invited guests included various attorneys from the law firm Boyd & Jenerette, including Jorge Gutiérrez, Managing Partner, Carlos Aguilar, Director of the International Practice, and Ronald Neiwirth, Partner at the firm. Other panelists included Rafael Castillo-Triana, International Law Expert and CEO of FTAA International, Iván Barrios, VP of Commercial Development forEnterpriseFloridaand Fernando Navia, Trade Commissioner ofEcuadorinMiami.

The panelists discussed the different benefits that will arise from the treaty, including a boom inSouth Florida’s economy through an increase in available jobs and exports. Iván Barrios, from Enterprise Florida, highlighted the areas two areas that he believes will have more growth; telecommunications and electronics. Iván also spoke about the importance of the treaty for South Florida, reason for which Enterprise Florida has organized a trip to Colombia with Governor Rick Scott, with the purpose of establishing commercial relationships with the country.