Costa Rica is able to export goods tariff-free to the 25-member European Union (EU) starting from January 2009, Segion Navas, head of the Chamber of Costa Rica Exporters, said Friday.

Pineapples, coffee, gold, agricultural products, ornamental plants, melons, palm hearts, juices and fruit concentrates -- particularly orange juice -- are among the main products that Costa Rica exports to the EU.

Bananas, Costa Rica's main export to the bloc, will not enjoy free market access as they are covered by a different tariff regime, Navas said.

The EU is the second most important export market for Costa Rica, after the United States, to which exports reached 1.1 billion US dollars in 2004.

Costa Rica has been officially included in the EU's new General System of Preferences (SGP-plus), in line with a ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Source: Xinhua