EU-Andean Community - regional integration assessment launched

Summary: January 25, 2005: EU-Andean Community: regional integration assessment launched (Brussels)

As mandated by the EU Latin America and Caribbean Guadalajara Summit of May 2004, today the European Commission and the Andean Community countries Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and Peru have officially launched a joint assessment of regional economic integration in the Andean Community. The Joint Assessment should lead, in due course, to negotiations between the EU and the Andean Community with a view to concluding an Association Agreement, which as agreed at Guadalajara is a strategic common objective of the parties.

The joint assessment is to be carried out by an Ad Hoc Working Group, which will hold its first meeting in Lima in March/April 2005.

" I am extremely satisfied to see that today a new step has been taken to move in the direction of the establishment of a fully-fledged Association Agreement between the EU and the Andean Community. I was pleased to have yesterday an in depth discussion on this with Allan Wagner, the Secretary General of the Andean Community. We still have a lot of work to do, but bearing in mind the next Summit, which will take place in Vienna in 2006, I am confident that this process will evolve very positively." said Benita Ferrero-Waldner, European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy.

The meeting conclusions are attached below.

More information on the Andean Community relations at
http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/andean/intro/index.htm

VIIIth meeting of the European Union - Andean Community Joint Committee - Brussels, 21 January 2005 - Joint Conclusions

The Joint Committee established by the 1993 Framework Co-operation Agreement between the European Economic Community and the countries of the Andean Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela) held its eighth meeting on 21 January 2005 in Brussels.

The Delegation from the European Union was chaired by Mr. Hervé Jouanjean, Deputy Director General for Asia and Latin America in the Directorate-General for External Relations of the European Commission as well as representatives from Units dealing with the Andean Community in the European Commission. Member States representatives participated as observers.

The Andean Community Delegation was chaired by Mr. Pablo de la Flor, Vice Minister for Trade from Peru, representing the pro tempore presidency of the Andean Community (CAN). In addition to representatives of the five Andean countries, including many Vice Ministers, Mr. Allan Wagner, the Secretary General of the Andean Community, also participated.

The highlight of the meeting was the official launching of the joint assessment exercise of regional economic integration in the Andean Community as agreed by the respective Heads of State and Government at the Guadalajara Summit in May 2004. This Joint Assessment should lead, in due course, to negotiations between the EU and the Andean Community with a view to concluding an Association Agreement, including a Free Trade Area. The latter has become, since Guadalajara, the strategic common objective of both parties. The joint assessment is to be carried out by an Ad Hoc Working Group, which will hold its first meeting in Lima in March/April 2005.

In addition to the launching of the joint assessment, other important topics that were raised in the Joint Committee included an overview of the relations of the Andean Community, as well as of its individual Member States, with third countries/regional blocks such as the recent creation of a South American Community of Nations in December 2004 and the ongoing negotiations of some of the Andean countries with the United States in view of the conclusion of bilateral Free Trade Agreements.

Economic and Trade issues were also discussed with a particular emphasis on the newly proposed Generalised System of Preferences.

Cooperation activities in support of the regional integration process as well as the preparatory undertakings for programming the next cycle between 2007-2013 were also on the agenda.

Finally, there was a discussion on social cohesion with a special reference to the Andean 'Integrated Social Development Plan' adopted by its Ministers of Foreign Affairs in September 2004.

The parties reiterated their commitment to continue this fruitful dialogue and it was proposed that the ninth Joint Committee would take place in Venezuela during the second half of 2005. It is expected that the results of the Ad Hoc Working Group assessment of regional economic integration will be presented at that meeting.

Ref: EC05-027EN
EU source: European Commission
UN forum:
Date: 25/1/2005

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