Colombia raises tariffs on Ecuador to 100% in retaliation as border trade dispute deepens
Colombia will lift import duties on Ecuadorian goods to 100% after Quito raised its own tariffs on Colombian imports to the same level from May 1. Bogota says the measures breach the 1969 Cartagena Agreement and has begun legal action, deepening a dispute rooted in drug-trafficking and border security tensions.
Colombia matches Ecuador with 100% tariffs
Colombia said on Friday that it will raise tariffs on imports from Ecuador to 100%, mirroring Quito's decision to increase its own customs duties on Colombian goods from 50% to 100% starting May 1, according to Anadolu Ajansı. Colombia's Trade, Industry and Tourism Minister Diana Marcela Morales said Bogota would match Ecuador's new tariff levels, lifting the current 30% duty on Ecuadorian imports to 100%.
"Despite all diplomatic efforts, we did not receive a positive response; on the contrary, (Ecuadorian) President Daniel Noboa's administration announced it would further harden its stance on the trade front," Morales said. The near-simultaneous moves push duties between the two Andean neighbours to prohibitive levels, effectively pricing many traded goods out of each other's markets.
How the dispute escalated
Trade friction began earlier this year, when Ecuador raised tariffs on Colombian goods from 30% to 50%. The confrontation then widened beyond customs duties into energy and logistics, with each side using its leverage over cross-border flows.
- Ecuador raised tariffs on Colombian goods from 30% to 50% earlier this year, then announced on Thursday a further increase to 100% from May 1.
- Colombia held its duty on Ecuadorian imports at 30% before deciding to match Ecuador at 100%.
- Colombia halted electricity exports to Ecuador in response to the earlier tariff increase.
- Ecuador raised transit fees for oil belonging to Colombia's state company Ecopetrol from $3 to $30 per barrel.
Ecuador's Ministry of Production justified its tariff measures by criticising Colombia for not taking sufficient action to combat drug trafficking and ensure border security, according to Anadolu Ajansı.
Legal and diplomatic fallout
Morales said Ecuador's tariff measures violate the 1969 Cartagena Agreement, a key framework for regional integration, and that legal steps have been initiated. The commercial standoff has spilled into diplomacy: Ecuador recalled its ambassador in Bogota for consultations following remarks by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, and Colombia responded by recalling its ambassador in Quito.
The clash reflects broader tensions between Petro and Noboa over how to combat drug-trafficking groups operating in the border regions the two countries share.
What it means for trade flows
For importers and exporters on both sides, duties at 100% remove the price competitiveness that underpins most bilateral shipments. Sectors that depend on the neighbour's market — including electricity supply from Colombia and oil transit for Ecopetrol — now face either sharply higher costs or outright suspension. With legal proceedings under the Cartagena Agreement only beginning and ambassadors withdrawn on both sides, traders have no clear timeline for when access might normalise.