The Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Omar Ramírez Tejada and representatives of the National Council of Duty Free Export Zones (CNZFE) met to discuss some of the requirements of the sector and the advances being made by the Ministry to help facilitate the installation of industrial parks throughout the country.

"No vean la regulación ambiental como un gasto, sino como una inversión"

The breakfast meeting, led by the Environment Minister and CNZFE Council president Luisa Fernández,  was attended by presidents of some 30 companies from the duty free export zone who make up 69% of the country’s total exports.

 Ramírez Tejada and Ms. Fernández talked about working together within the sector in an effort to increase competetiveness as well as the environmental performance of the companies involved.

 “They don’t see the environmental regulation as an expense but rather an investment,” said the minister, exhorting business people to assume the use of clean technology that saves energy, water and other resources.

Up until now, some 1,022 environmental licences and permissions have been granted for parks and duty free zones since 2004 to date. There are currently 144 addition applications under consideration.

The Environmental Ministry works in conjunction with other institutions to create the single window system which allows a business to easily apply and follow up on these procedures and to shorten the process of seeking environmental licences and permits.

In the name of the businesses involved in the duty free zone, Luis Manuel Pellerano, president of the Las Américas duty free zone, asked that the institution establish a special division for this sector. Representatives of SEMARENA welcomed the proposal and  agreed to study it. Among the SEMARENA officials was Ernesto Reyna, deputy secretary for Environmental Management and Patricia Abreu Fernández, Director of Environmental Norms.

Information for the Sector

The Environmental Ministry provides all information online at its website for promotors of new projects who need to submit their applications and documents. The website is: www.medioambiente.gov.do The information can be found under Authorization of Environmental Quality Management and Licences for new projects.