Atracción de inversión, nearshoring, zonas francas y régimen comercial.
The Cabinet Council approves transitional contracts with APMT and TIL to ensure continuity of operations at the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal.
The Cabinet Council approves the hiring of AECOM for engineering advisory services on the Albrook–Sajalices segment and the feasibility study for the Panama–David–Frontera train.
The National Assembly approved Bill 385 in its Third Debate on April 30, 2026, establishing the National Tourism and Heritage Development Program 'Paraísos del Istmo.' Inspired by Mexico's 'Pueblos Mágicos' model, the bill was sent to the Executive Branch on May 8, 2026, for promulgation or a potential veto.
Bill 639, submitted by the Ministry of the Presidency, requests a favorable opinion from the National Assembly to sign an addendum to the original 1998 contract with the Ciudad del Saber Foundation, extending its special tax regime from February 13, 2023 to December 31, 2027.
Representative Jhonathan Edir Vega of Circuit 4-5 and nine co-sponsors introduced Bill 554 in February 2026 — a sweeping reform of the horizontal property regime in response to complaints about abandoned construction sites in residential condominium developments. The bill complements Law 284 of 2022 and establishes an aggravated, joint, and strict liability regime.
The Economy and Finance Committee is advancing a National Maritime, Port and Logistics Integration System coordinated by the Panama Maritime Authority, with the Maritime Single Window (VUMPA) as its central tool.
Representative Víctor de Jesús Castillo Cortez introduced a bill on April 27, 2026 that regulates public donation fundraising campaigns, protects donors, and adds a new criminal offense to the Penal Code to sanction those who obtain funds through solidarity deception.
Bill 638, submitted by legislator Marcos Castillero Barahona and adopted by the Commerce and Economic Affairs Committee, proposes that commercial establishments provide reusable bags or environmentally friendly alternatives without passing any cost on to the consumer, directly or indirectly.
Bill 331, which would have created the regulatory framework for sports tourism in Panama with PANDEPORTE and ATP as implementing agencies, was returned to the Legislature via Note 210-2026-AL after objections regarding institutional competencies, the proposed National Fund, and municipal autonomy.
Law 32 of 2011 brought Panama's special, comprehensive, and simplified regime for the creation and operation of free-trade zones under a single legal body, repealing Law 25 of 1992 and its implementing decree. Since then it has been regulated three times by the Ministry of Commerce and Industries, amended by laws on airports, property tax, and tax administration, and remains the backdrop for proposed legislation seeking to create parallel special regimes.
The National Assembly has two bills pending a first debate, introduced on April 23, 2026 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, that would formalize Panama's accession to the two pillars of the international measurement system.
Legislator Alexandra Brenes Samaniego, of circuit 8-2, is leading a reform of Law 41 of July 20, 2004 that seeks to professionalize the leadership of the Panamá-Pacífico Special Economic Area. The bill, approved in First Reading on April 21, 2026 with six votes in favor and none against in the Commerce and Economic Affairs Committee, is pending Second Reading.
Legislator Lilia Batista Rodríguez submitted on April 21, 2026 a preliminary bill that establishes minimum insurance coverage, joint liability of the driver, owner, and company, and preventive detention of the vehicle until 125% of the estimated amount of the damages is posted.
Executive Decree 6 of April 13, 2026, published in Official Gazette 30502-A, implements Law 497 of November 13, 2025 and defines the operational structure of PROPANAMÁ, the new office attached to the Office of the Minister of Commerce and Industry responsible for attracting foreign direct investment and promoting Panamanian exports.
Twenty legislators from the Caribbean and Atlantic caucuses presented Bill 217 in January 2025 to turn the strategic district of Almirante into a Multimodal Economic Area. The proposal creates an autonomous entity, establishes a special fiscal and customs regime and places the Changuinola airport and the banana-tourism port of Almirante at the heart of the logistics model.
The Supreme Court of Justice, sitting in Full Bench, declared constitutional res judicata with respect to Law No. 406 of 2023, which approved the mining concession contract between the State and Minera Panamá, S.A., upon finding that the same court had already declared it unconstitutional weeks earlier.
In a ruling dated July 5, 2022, the Third Chamber of the Supreme Court declared legal an ACODECO resolution that sanctioned a business entity in the automotive sector with a fine of two thousand balboas for violating Law 45 of 2007, establishing that no parallel investigative process is required to impose a sanction once a consumer violation has been proven.
The Third Administrative Litigation Chamber of the Supreme Court declared that Permanent Water Concession Contract No. 004-12 of 2012, signed between the former National Environment Authority and a concessionaire company for a hydroelectric project in the province of Chiriquí, is not illegal.
The Ministry of Economy and Finance has formalized the regulatory framework for the Country-by-Country Report (CbCR) in line with the OECD BEPS Action 13 standard, effective May 27, 2019, with the first filing obligation applying to fiscal year 2018.