MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentina with the largest number of protectionist measures worldwide

Timerman argues Argentine imports rose 30.8% in 2011

Argentina has implemented the largest number of protectionist measures worldwide, according to a Latin Business Chronicle analysis of Global Trade Alert data from the UK-based Centre for Economic Policy Research.

Argentina has implemented a whopping 191 protectionist measures. Russia, the runner-up worldwide, has implemented 172 measures.

In Latin America, Argentina has implemented more protectionist measures than the rest of the region combined (191 versus 170).

Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy, has implemented 86 protectionist measures, four times more than Mexico, the region’s second-largest economy.

Peru and Venezuela have implemented 18 and 11 protectionist measures, respectively.

Costa Rica is the country with the fewest protectionist measures, only one, followed by Chile with two, the data from Global Trade Alert shows.

According to the lastest ranking of the world’s worst by protectionist measures: Argentina leads with 191; Russia, 172; US, 106; India, 101; and China, 100.

Regarding Latin America the ranking is as follows: Argentina, 191; Brazil, 86; Mexico, 23; Peru, 18; Venezuela, 11; Colombia, 7; Ecuador and Paraguay, 6 each; Uruguay, 4; Bolivia, 3; Dominican Republic, 3; Chile, 2 and Costa Riva, 1.

However the Argentine Foreign Ministry argues that Argentine imports rose 30.8% last year (including 27.4% with G20 colleagues), the highest increase among G20 countries after India.

Foreign Minister Héctor Timerman said that the complaints about import restrictions originated from those who wanted “an easy life buying from abroad with just three or four employees”, instead of the challenge of producing and exporting, thus creating jobs and contributing to the real economy of the country.

Argentina has made presentations to that effect before the World Trade Organization and other multilateral bodies.