Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy: "Costa Rica Joins Digital Economy Partnership Agreement"

Second Accession After Korea
DEPA Expands Global Digital Trade Network

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 23rd that the accession negotiations between the Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) member countries and Costa Rica have been concluded.

DEPA is the first plurilateral digital trade agreement established among Singapore, New Zealand, and Chile, members of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), to establish digital trade norms and strengthen cooperation. It is currently being developed as a global framework leading digital trade norms. South Korea joined in May last year.

With Costa Rica's participation, the global digital trade network is expected to be further strengthened. An official from the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy stated, "Costa Rica's accession will provide an opportunity to expand export opportunities based on e-commerce for our companies and strengthen cooperation with the Latin American region."

DEPA is an open agreement, and several countries including China, Canada, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Peru, and El Salvador are also in the process of joining.

Jung In-kyo, Director General for Trade Negotiations, said, "Costa Rica's accession to DEPA shows the growing importance of DEPA in forming global digital trade norms and promoting cooperation," adding, "We expect to open new possibilities for cooperation in the digital trade sector between DEPA member countries and Costa Rica."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.