Webinar: Raising competitiveness through streamlining and simplification of procedures.
The streamlining and simplification of administrative procedures makes Guatemala a better investment destination because it increases its competitiveness.
Guatemala, September 21, 2021.- The Guatemalan-Canadian Chamber of Commerce (CANCHAM), in alliance with the Institute for Economic Competitiveness (ICE), carried out today a webinar to analyze the impact that the recent Entry into force of the Law of Simplification of Requirements and Administrative Procedures, Decree 05-2021, in the competitiveness of the country and the attraction of investments.
In the latest Doing Business 2020 report, Guatemala ranks 96th out of a total of 190 countries in the ease of doing business indicator, which is why, according to ICE, simplifying administrative procedures is a priority to attract investment. Some of the critical points that contribute to this evaluation are the procedures for opening a business (p. 99 of the report), the management of construction licenses (p. 118 of the report), property registration (p. 89 of the report). report) and compliance with contracts (p. 176 of the report).
“Guatemala is not well qualified, especially in the aspects that involve citizen interaction with public agencies to carry out procedures. The prompt implementation of the Law for the Simplification of Administrative Procedures and Requirements will allow us to improve the qualification in some of the aforementioned areas, increasing our competitiveness to do business and attract investment ”, assured Julio García-Merlos, member of the ICE Advisory Council.
According to CANCHAM, the strategy to promote economic reactivation in Guatemala is focusing on speeding up times, minimizing operating costs for companies and attracting foreign direct investment that generates sources of employment. Juan Sebastián Soto, Vice President of CANCHAM, indicated that “an agile and efficient public administration allows the development of a country, making it easier for national and foreign companies to operate within a legal framework with legal certainty.” The Law for the Simplification of Requirements and Administrative Procedures will allow the traceability of procedures to the user, which is also an important advance in open and electronic government.
“The entry into force of Decree 05-2021 is a true milestone. It is imperative that Guatemala enters the digital age and the notary public is modernized to increase the competitiveness of companies. Discretion in public administration must be eliminated, ”emphasized García-Merlos from ICE. For his part, Soto de CANCHAM concluded: “In order to innovate, energize and promote a business culture with better standards, it is necessary to know the legal tools, open spaces for analysis and communication between the citizen, the administered and the public sector, such and as established by law, to direct this action plan in the same direction ”.