Latin American Free Trade Association Article Index for
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Information About

Latin American Free Trade Association




By 1970 , LAFTA expanded to include Bolivia , Colombia , Ecuador , and Venezuela . In 1980 , LAFTA reorganized into the Latin American Integration Association . Membership remained unchanged until Cuba joined in 1999 .

The goal of the LAFTA is the creation of a free trade zone in Latin America. It should foster mutual regional trade among the member states, as well as with the U.S. and the European Union .
To achieve these goals, several institutions are foreseen:
  • the council of foreign ministers

  • a conference of all participating countries

  • a permanent council


The LAFTA agreement has important limitations: it only refers to goods, not to services, and it does not include a coordination of policies. Compared e.g. to the European Union the political and economic integration is very limited.