Andean trade bloc orders Colombia, Ecuador to lift trade curbs

May 8, 2026 9:35 AM EDT

FILE PHOTO: Vehicles pass through a customs checkpoint as local merchants report a decline in trade, after Ecuador's government said it was raising tariffs on imports from its larger neighbor Colombia to 100% from a prior level of 50%, citing Colombia's a

By Alexandra Valencia ‌and Nelson ​Bocanegra

QUITO/BOGOTA, ​May 8 (Reuters) - The Andean Community trade bloc ordered Colombia and Ecuador to lift all ‌measures restricting trade between the two countries, after ⁠each raised tariffs on the other.

The Community ruled on Thursday ‌on requests from both ‌nations after Ecuador raised tariffs on imports from Colombia to 100%, prompting Colombia to retaliate with ​phased tariff hikes of up to 75% on some goods.

The multilateral body gave the two countries ⁠10 business days to withdraw the measures in place.

"I have no problem ​in removing the tariffs on products from Ecuador in the same way and chronology ​as they were imposed," Colombian ‌President Gustavo Petro said in a post on X.

Ecuador's foreign ministry said it ⁠was analyzing the resolution.

Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa imposed tariffs on Colombian imports early this year, including electricity and medicines, ⁠eventually raising them to 100% as of May 1, arguing ​that his larger neighbor was not doing enough to combat drug trafficking along their 590-km (360-mile) shared border and citing a ‌trade deficit.

Petro rejected the accusations. His government responded by suspending electricity exports and ‌last week formalizing differentiated tariffs of 35%, 50% and ⁠75% on around ‌190 Ecuadorean products.

(Reporting by ​Alexandra Valencia and Nelson Bocanegra; Editing by Susan Fenton, Chizu Nomiyama and Daina Beth ‌Solomon)



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