| |
|
In 1993 the Andean Community membership: (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) and the European Commission signed a Framework Cooperation Agreement (adopted by the Andean Community as Decision 329 which entered into force in 1998). The 1996 EC Declaration of Rome sets out a draft Declaration on Political Dialogue between the European Union and the Andean Community, which contemplates official meetings on bilateral and international matters of common interest to be held at the presidential and ministerial level.
In May 2002 at the EU-Latin American and Caribbean Summit, held in Madrid, a new Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement was initiated between the European Union (EU) and the Andean Community. This agreement was signed in Rome in December 2003 and, once ratified, will replace the 1996 Declaration of Rome and the 1993 Framework Agreement on Cooperation. At the 2005 EU Ministerial meeting, Andean Community Ministers informed the EU that the 2003 Agreement had been adopted by Andean Community's Foreign Affairs Council on 11 July 2004, through Andean Community Decision number 595. At the July 2006 EU-Andean Community High Level Meeting, both sides agreed on the need to speedily ratify the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement and on the need for a future Association Agreement
to be comprehensive and include political, cooperation and trade pillars.
The 1993 Framework Agreement identified different cooperation areas and established joint committees for follow-up activities as well as a subcommittee on trade, which have continued to operate. A Joint Committee (originally established pursuant to the 1983 Cooperation Agreement) continued to operate.
With the 2004 Declaration of Guadalajara, the EU initiated a joint assessment of the Andean Community integration process, which was referenced in the Joint Committee declaration of January 2005 as a step leading towards negotiations on an Association Agreement, including a Free Trade Agreement. At the ministerial meeting in May 2005, Ministers
created an ad hoc working group to advance in the technical aspects of the joint assessment exercise. The first meeting of the working group took place in Lima, Peru on 5 April 2005. The second meeting took place in Brussels, Belgium on 26 July 2005. The third meeting took place in Caracas, Venezuela on 10-11 November 2005. At this meeting the technical phase of the process was concluded. The final report was presented to the Joint Committee in July 2006. On 19 April 2007, during the XIII Ministerial Meeting between the Andean Community and the European Union, Ministers expressed their intention to begin negotiations of the Association Agreement in May 2007. Negotiations were launched on 14 June 2007 on the occasion of the Seventeenth Regular Meeting of the Andean Council of Presidents held in Tarija, Bolivia. Both parties welcomed the approval of Decision 667 containing the General Framework for the Negotiation of the Associacion Agreement between the Andean Community and the European Union that establishes that the different levels of development and economic approaches among both groups will be taken into account in the negotiations.
The first round of negotiations were held in Bogotá on 17 September 2007. The second round took place in Brussels, Belgium on 14 December 2007. The third round of negotiations was concluded in Quito, Ecuador on 25 April 2008. On 17 May 2008, during the V Latin America and Caribbean-European Union Summit, the Andean Community and the EU agreed to a flexible framework agreement for the association of both blocs. The agreement will cover three aspects: trade, political and cooperation. Each country of the Andean Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) will be able enter into any one of the aspects of said agreement according to the country’s possibilities, ambitions, deadlines and pace.
In this context, at the end of February 2009,
Colombia, Ecuador and Peru met with the EU in
Brussels to advance in the negotiations of a
trade agreement. The first round of negotiations
was held in Bogota, Colombia, on 13 February
2009. The second round of negotiations took
place from 23-27 March 2009, in Lima Peru. The
third round took place on 22-25 April 2009, in
Quito, Ecuador. The fourth round of negotiations
concluded on 19 June 2009. The fifth round of
negotiations took place from 20-24 July 2009, in
Lima, Peru. The sixth round of negotiations took
place in Brussels on 21-25 September 2009. A
seventh round of negotiations on a free trade
agreement between the EU and Colombia and Peru
concluded on 20 November 2009. On 18- 22 January 2010 the eighth round of negotiations took place in Bogota, Colombia. The nineth round of negotiations was held in Brussels, Belgium, from 22-28 March 2010.
On 19 May 2010, in Madrid, Spain, in the framework of the VI European Union-Latin America and the Caribbean Summit of Heads of State and Government, Colombia and Peru concluded their respective free trade negotiations with the EU.
In November 2010, Peru and the European Union met in Brussels to undertake the legal review of the bilateral FTA. It is expected that the FTA will be concluded in late 2011 or early 2012 after their respective Congresses approve the agreement.
Chief negotiators of the European Commission,
Peru and Colombia met in Brussels on 23 and 24 March
2011 to initial the final texts of the agreement
between the parties. The initialling will be
followed by the process of translation,
signature and adoption of this agreement so that it
can enter into force. On 16 March 2012, the Council
of the European Union cleared the free trade agreement with
Colombia and Peru. The agreement was reached at a
meeting of the Trade Affairs Council.
| Documents relating to the negotiations |
|
12 March 2012 |
Brussels, Belgium.
Council of the European Union clears free trade
agreement with Colombia and Peru   |
|
24 March 2011 |
Negotiators initial trade agreement between the European Union, Colombia and Peru |
| 24 November 2010 |
Peru and EU conduct a legal review of bilateral FTA  |
| 19 May 2010 |
Colombia and the EU
conclude free trade negotiations |
| 19 May 2010 |
Peru and the EU
conclude free trade negotiations |
| 01
March 2010 |
Ninth round of trade negotiations between Colombia- Peru and the EU |
| 22 January 2010 |
Bogota, Colombia. Eighth round of trade negotiations between Colombia- Peru and the EU |
|
16-20 November 2009 |
Bogota, Colombia. Seventh round of trade negotiations
between Colombia-Peru and the EU |
|
21-25
September 2009 |
Brussels, Belgium. Sixth round of trade negotiations
between Colombia-Peru and the EU |
|
20-24 July 2009 |
Lima,
Peru. Fifth round of trade negotiations
between Colombia-Ecuador-Peru and the EU |
|
15-19 June 2009 |
Bogota,
Colombia. Fourth round of trade negotiations
between Colombia-Ecuador-Peru and the EU
|
|
22-25 April 2009 |
Quito,
Ecuador. Third round of trade negotiations
between Colombia-Ecuador-Peru and EU |
| 27 March 2009 |
Lima, Peru. Conclusion of
second round of trade negotiations between Colombia-Ecuador-Peru and EU |
| 23-27 March 2009 |
Lima,
Peru. Second round of trade negotiations between Colombia-Ecuador-Peru and EU |
| 22 January 2009 |
Bogota,
Colombia. First round of trade negotiations between Colombia-Ecuador-Peru and EU |
| 17 May 2008 |
Lima, Peru. Andean Community and EU agree to a flexible framework agreement |
| 16 May 2008 |
Lima, Peru. V Latin America and Caribbean-European Union Summit: Lima Declaration |
| 25 April 2008 |
Quito, Ecuador. Third round of negotiations |
| |
Joint conclusions: Group I - Political dialogue |
| |
Joint conclusions: Group II - Cooperation |
| 14 December 2007 |
Brussels, Belgium. Second round of negotiations |
| 21 September 2007 |
Bogota, Colombia. Conclusion of the first round of negotiations |
| 17 July 2007 |
First round of negotiations of an association agreement will be held in September |
| 14 June 2007 |
Declaration of Tarija: Launching of Andean Community-EU negotiations |
| 08 June 2007 |
Decision 667: General Framework for the Negotiation of the Association Agreement between the Andean Community and the European Union |
| 19 April 2007 |
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. EU and Andean Ministers express their intention to begin negotiations of an Associacion Agreement in May |
| 12-13 July 2006 |
EU-Andean Community High-level Meeting |
| 12 May 2006 |
EU and Andean Community initiate process towards Association Agreement |
| 11 July 2004 |
Andean Community Decision 595 |
| 26 May 2005 |
Luxembourg. Andean Community-EU Ministerial meeting |
| 29 May 2004 |
Declaration of Guadalajara |
| 15 October 2003 |
Political Dialogue and Co-operation Agreement between the European Community and its Member States, of the one part, and the Andean Community and its Member States, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela, of the other part |
| 06 May 2003 |
Launch of the negotiations of the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the Andean Community (CAN), 6-8 May 2003 |
| 30 June 1996 |
Declaration of Rome |
| 03 April 1993 |
Framework Agreement on Cooperation |
| 22 October 1992 |
Andean Community Decision 329 |
| Source: Secretaría General de la Comunidad Andina; European Union; V Cumbre ALC-UE |
|
