Latin, Caribbean AmChams Highlight Need toOpen Markets for a Sustained Economic Recovery

Survey Says Open Trade and Rule of Law Should be Administration's Top Priorities for the Region

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The Association of American Chambers of Commerce in Latin America (AACCLA), an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, today released a survey of AmChams in Latin America and the Carribean which asserts that open trade should be this administration's top policy priority for the region.

"These numbers show that we cannot wait any longer to boost trade and open our markets if the region is to enjoy a sustained recovery," said Adrean Rothkopf, vice president of Western Hemisphere Affairs for the U.S. Chamber and executive vice president of AACCLA. By a two-to-one margin, respondents said measures to expand trade and investment should top the list of U.S. policy priorities for the region.

"Our members in Latin America and the Caribbean clearly want the region's policymakers to return to fundamental domestic priorities like the rule of law and making trade easier," Rothkopf said. Nine out of ten respondents pointed to these principles as their highest domestic policy priorities.

To conduct the survey, AACCLA reached out to the membership of its 23 member American Chambers of Commerce (AmChams), which represent over 80% of U.S. investment in Latin America and the Caribbean. More than 900 respondents from 22 countries participated in the survey, which will help steer AACCLA policy objectives for 2010. Some of the key findings include:

• More than half of respondents (52%) were optimistic about the region's political and economic outlook; two-thirds predict regional economic recovery in 2010.
• Nearly half of respondents (47%) believe populism and authoritarianism will continue to increase in the region over the next four years.
• Almost two-thirds of respondents (65%) believe that regional perceptions of the United States will improve with President Obama in the White House.
• Respondents find that rule of law reforms (39%) are the most pressing short-term need for the region, and that education (31%) and rule of law (30%) are the long-term priorities.
• Half of all respondents (50.4%) believe that their countries' environmental laws are appropriate but not adequately enforced.\

For nearly a century, the AmChams have been the most influential voice of U.S. business in Latin America and the Caribbean. Today, AACCLA and its 23 member AmChams represent more than 20,000 companies and over 80% of U.S. investment in the region. Acting in partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AACCLA has become the premier advocate for U.S. business in the Americas. Visit www.aaccla.org/ for more information.

The U.S. Chamber is the world's largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region.

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