In an agreement that promises access for UK exporters to markets including beef, cheese and animal feed, the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) has accepted Costa Rica as its newest member.
The trading bloc, which the UK officially joined on 15 December 2024, has a combined GDP of £13 trillion, according to 2025 data, and includes Australia, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore and Vietnam among its members.
According to the Department for Business and Trade (DBT), the accession of Costa Rica will mean that exports of pork and biscuits will become duty free within five years, beef within eight and cheese within 12.
“CPTPP is open for growth,” it went on. “We are negotiating with Uruguay and planning to start discussions with Indonesia, the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates [UAE] this year, if possible.”
The DBT also highlights that the agreement means a more open and accessible market for UK professionals as Costa Rica has agreed to go far beyond any of its previous trade agreements by liberalising its professional services regime across 19 regulated professions including in legal, accounting and engineering services.
Regarding financial services, Costa Rica’s accession to CPTPP will provide UK firms with legal certainty on their ability to provide portfolio management and e-payment card services to Costa Rican clients on a cross-border basis.
