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The EPA (Economic Partnership Agreement - Agreement between the European Union and CARIFORUM) also contains provisions on e commerce, intellectual property, competition policy, government procurement and the environment.

[4.37 As part of its ongoing reform and upgrading process, the Dominican customs inaugurated and launched the new Customs Laboratory on 19 February 2015. (...)]

This scientific infrastructure will play a vitally important role, inter alia in environmental protection (with respect to ozone, chemical weapons, heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants and pesticides), safeguarding protected animal species, combating drug trafficking and monitoring drug precursors, and is therefore a tool indispensable to the security of our borders. It will also provide a varied range of services for the chemical analysis of metallic and non metallic products, products of animal and plant origin, food preparations and alcoholic beverages; for characterizing a broad range of substances and organic compounds, both volatile and semi volatile; for analysing and measuring various parameters related to hydrocarbons and the identification of adulterating substances in fuels, biological research, molecular biology, microbiology, metals, minerals, electronics and the preparation of samples for analysis, among other things.

The Dominican Republic's agricultural trade policy is shaped by the commitments made under the various trade agreements, and this has constituted a new challenge in recent years as regards trade opening in the framework of the tariff elimination schedules contained in those agreements. Over the period 2007 2014 the Government therefore concentrated on implementing policies and programmes to enhance the sector's productivity and competitiveness, the quality and safety of production and to ensure food security, environmental protection and the well being of the Dominican Republic's rural population.

The agriculture sector is the primary source of employment in rural areas, where most of the country's poor households are located. Revitalizing the agricultural sector is necessary in order to drive growth and alleviate poverty. Therefore, one of the objectives of the National Development Strategy 2010 2030 is now to raise the productivity, competitiveness and environmental and financial sustainability of agricultural production chains so as to enhance food security, take advantage of export potential and generate employment and income for the rural population.

In this connection, it should be noted that the Special Agricultural Development Fund (FEDA) was reactivated at the end of 2012. Its institutional and legal framework is based on Law No. 367 of 1972. FEDA's mission is to promote and stimulate sustainable development in rural areas in order to improve the sector's competitiveness by strengthening social and production infrastructure and improving access to low interest solidarity loans for producer organizations which, for various reasons, cannot benefit from loans provided by formal entities or commercial banks. The Office of the President of the Republic plays a direct role in managing these programmes by means of "surprise visits", during which the needs stated by the country's poorest producers' associations are assessed and properly addressed. The aims here are to generate rural employment, ensure access to credit, reforest watersheds and modernize infrastructure in the countryside, thereby raising the standard of living of rural dwellers. So great has been the impact of these programmes in reducing rural poverty that in September 2014, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) invited the Dominican Republic to present them as a model to be replicated in other countries.

(...) In general, all activities are open to foreign investment except those related to the management of toxic, hazardous or radioactive waste produced abroad; public health; the environment; and weapons production. At the sectoral level, there are restrictions in the mining, broadcasting, energy and air transport sectors, as well as in a number of professional services.

In general, all activities are open to foreign investment except those specified in Law No. 16 95 and in certain sectoral laws. Article 5 of Law No. 16 95 prohibits foreign investment in activities related to the management of toxic, hazardous, or radioactive waste produced abroad; public health; the environment; and weapons production.

Imported products which present a risk for human, animal, plant, aquaculture or forest health must comply with the sanitary, phytosanitary, and animal health measures specified in the technical regulations or no objection permits and must have an import permit. (...)

The Dominican Republic keeps a list of prohibitions and goods subject to import permits for reasons of public health and safety, animal and plant health and environmental protection. (...)

Imported products which present a risk for human, animal, plant, aquaculture or forest health must comply with the sanitary, phytosanitary and animal health measures specified in the technical regulations or no objection permits and must have an import permit. (...)
• Imports of products of plant origin (...)
For fertilizers and their raw materials, a no objection permit from the Ministry of the Environment is required rather than the phytosanitary no objection permit.
(...)
• Imports of products of forest origin (wood) and fishery products require a permit issued by the DSV or the Dominican Fisheries and Aquaculture Council (CODOPESCA), respectively. For wood, the importer must have a permit from the Ministry of the Environment in addition to the no objection permit from the DSV. For the import of fishery products, a no objection permit has to be requested from CODOPESCA by means of a letter describing the product.