The Andean country hopes to be included in a list of countries eligible to negotiate a trade agreement with the United States, which will be published in April 2025.

In April, the United States will publish the list of countries eligible to negotiate a free trade agreement (FTA), which is expected to include Ecuador, according to Nery Merejildo, president of the Ecuadorian-American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham Guayaquil). He also anticipated that the Ecuadorian government and the private sector are arranging meetings with US authorities, such as Marco Rubio, current Secretary of State, who in 2023 highlighted Ecuador as a strategic partner during his visit to the country.

The leader highlighted that Ecuador has taken key steps to be considered, such as the signing of the Modifying Protocol to the Trade and Investment Council in 2020, "a milestone that developed the foundations for a broader trade agreement.

This agreement allowed non-oil exports to the US to increase by 19% in 2020, despite the pandemic, reaching US$3.189 billion.

"The reactivation of these dialogues with the new US administration opens a window of opportunity for strategic sectors of our economy, facilitating the diversification of exports, the attraction of investments and the generation of formal employment," added the representative of the binational chamber.

He said that the possibility of Ecuador being considered within the group of countries with which the United States will negotiate a free trade agreement represents a historic opportunity to deepen the bilateral relationship and consolidate preferential access for Ecuadorian products to the U.S. market.