Costa Rica

Strengthening cooperations for the upcoming EU-CELAC Summit, EU Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen has launched EU's Multiannual Indicative Programming with Costa Rica, emphasising joint efforts in decarbonisation, digitalisation, and refugee challenges

Just over a year after legalising hemp and medical cannabis, Costa Rica’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock has authorised the country’s first medical cannabis license

The Tourism Institute and the Red Cross have signed an agreement to enhance beach safety that allocates 1,2 billion colones (€2 million) to increase the number of lifeguards on the most popular beaches

Local scientists have found that antibiotic-producing bacteria exists on national sloths, which could be a solution to the problem of "superbugs" that are resistant to current drugs

Several off-duty police manifestations occurred in protest against the reduction of rest hours imposed by the government to carry out a special operation against organised crime

The government has passed a law that prohibits the marketing and free delivery of plastic bags and straws, and limits the use of plastic bottles

President Rodrigo Chaves stated that the country is spending over US$300 million annually to host migrants, which is why he is requesting assistance from the US and Canada, countries that receive migrants who generally pass through the state to get there

According to the World Happiness Report 2023, which is supervised by the United Nations, the country is the happiest in all of Latin America thanks to its income, health, and overall quality of life

The state has issued a decree for the creation of a digital health strategy, aimed at digitizing the country’s health system, such as for the protection of personal data, interoperability of health systems, and the ethical use of AI in health

The country has eliminated a previously obligatory 10% tax on imported beers, which had been deemed discriminatory towards foreign beers, creating an unequal market that rendered them more costly in comparison to locally-produced beers

The European Union has formally added the state to its blacklist of non-cooperative countries in tax matters, as it has “failed to comply” with the commitment of reforming the tax system to tax passive offshore income

China has sent a formal apology to the country after its meteorological balloon went into Costa Rican territory, causing great distress among authorities as they had already alerted neighbouring countries about a foreign object approaching