Why are El Salvador and Costa Rica Rethinking Mining Laws?

Despite mineral production never having dominated the economies of Central American countries, change appears to be on the horizon. On The LatinNews Podcast this week, we talk to Paul Harris, Americas editor for Mining Journal, Senior editor for Kitco and organizer of the Colombia Gold Symposium to hear his thoughts on upcoming decisions in El Salvador, Costa Rica and Panama.

Firstly, President Bukele's proposal to walk back his country's 2017 total ban on metal mining in El Salvador and encourage multinational firms to exploit gold deposits, meanwhile, Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves submitted a bill to the unicameral National Assembly to reverse the ban on open-pit mining in that country.

And, despite massive social protests in Panama in 2023, due to allegations of serious environmental contamination surrounding a copper mine there, President Mulino looks set to revisit the question of this closure.

We ask Paul Harris about the possible outcomes of each circumstance, whether this may shake up attitudes to mining in Mexico and also extend our conversation to include the probabilities of a new mining code being released in Colombia in 2025.

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