Andean Community of Nations
- Member States
- Associated States
- Observer status
- Lima ( Head Office)
- Bogotá ( Parliament)
Spanish
October 16, 1969 ( Cartagena Agreement )
Different national, sought monetary union
The Andean Community (formerly the Andean Pact or Andean Group, Spanish Comunidad Andina de Naciones, abbreviated CAN) is an international organization in South America. It consists of the Member States, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and has the economic, political and social integration of these countries to the goal.
- 4.1 Policy objectives
- 4.2 Management Objectives
Member States and Associated States
Members of the Andean Community are:
- Bolivia Bolivia
- Ecuador Ecuador
- Colombia Colombia
- Peru Peru
Associated States are:
- Argentina Argentina
- Brazil Brazil
- Chile Chile ( 2006)
- Paraguay Paraguay
- Uruguay Uruguay
States with observer status are:
- Mexico Mexico
- Panama Panama
History
The economic integration tests concretized in South America in 1969 with the signing of the Cartagena Agreement (Andean Pact) on May 26, which entered into force on 16 October of the year. The Andean Pact initially included Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Venezuela joined 1 January 1974, Chile became effective on October 30, 1976 from the Andean Pact from. Main reasons for the conclusion of the Treaty of Cartagena was the one that founded by the Treaty of Montevideo 1960 Latin American Free Trade Association ( ALALC ) stagnated, on the other hand wanted the smaller Member States of the ALALC obtained by a sub-regional merger, the possibility of the relative lagging behind the large countries (with Argentina, Brazil, Mexico) catch up.
The Cartagena Agreement was modified and expanded gradually and culminated in 1997 with the entry into force of the Protocol of Trujillo, a reform of the 1969 signed the Cartagena Agreement establishing the Andean Pact, in the establishment of the Andean Community. Associated with this integration system are the states of Mexico, Panama and Chile, as well as the members of Mercosur since 7 July 2005. Venezuela stepped out on 22 April 2006. Chile was recorded on 20 September 2006 as an associate member.
Since 1994 exists between Member States ( Transitional measures and derogations ) an imperfect customs union. The members of Ecuador and Colombia have a common tariff on goods from third countries and a uniform nomenclature. Peru and Bolivia do not have the same external tariffs as Colombia and Ecuador. Peru suspended its membership in the Customs Union in the early 90s due to trade disputes with Colombia and Venezuela ( for alleged illegal subsidization of domestic export industry) and therefore have not heard of this customs union.
With regard to the signing of a free trade agreement with the U.S., there was no common position among the Member States of the Andean Community. Only three Member States, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador have been holding talks with the U.S.. Although these three countries had originally agreed to jointly negotiate with the U.S., the governments were not in a position to strengthen the development of common positions their negotiating position. Peru concluded on 8 December 2005, negotiations on a free trade agreement with the U.S. was the first country in the Andean region from bilaterally. It was followed in 2006 with the signing of a bilateral Colombia free trade agreement with the United States. In response to the bilateral free trade agreement Colombia and Peru with the United States of America, who were considered by Venezuela as a violation of the policy of regional integration, the Venezuelan government announced in 2006 its membership in the Community and retired after a transitional period of five years in April 2011, within the prescribed period from the Andean Community. Ecuador began in 2006 its negotiations with the United States. The elected in November 2006, President of Ecuador Rafael Correa graduated from a free trade agreement with the U.S. for his country.
Institutions
Formally, the institutions of the Andean Community to those of the European Union are modeled, but they have never reached a comparable level of supranational integration. The cooperation of States of the Andean Community is to be characterized throughout by intergovernmentalism.
Andean Presidential Council
The Andean Presidential Council is the highest governing body and the CAN. It consists of the Heads of State and Government of the Member States, which together usually come once a year in the one State which holds the Presidency. At its meetings also attend the governors of the States to which an observer status was granted on the basis of association agreements. The Andean Presidential Council shall define the general political guidelines for the integration process and gives the necessary impetus in areas of common interest. But are addressed not only the communitaurised matters, but also the areas of intergovernmental cooperation, such as the common foreign policy of the CAN. Furthermore, it ensures the coordinated cooperation between the organizations and institutions of the integration system in order to achieve common goals. It is up to him also the evaluation of the development and results of the integration process. Against the background of the new, cosmopolitan orientation of the integration process of the Andean Presidential Council has to deal with the political issues of the external relations of the CAN. Its steering function he performs in that it to the organs and institutions of reports, initiatives and recommendations takes position ( " pronunciamentos " ) and guidelines (" Direct Rices " ) shall issue to them so that his political guidelines to be implemented.
Andean Parliament
The Andean Parliament shall be composed of members who are elected by the national parliaments of the Member States. It has no legislative powers and has only an advisory role.
Commission of the Andean Community
The Commission is responsible for drawing up proposals for Community policies and for the implementation of Council decisions. It is composed of five members, but each in their own countries hold government positions.
Secretaries General
Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar
In 1985, the Andean Community, the Universidad Andina Simón Bolívar and promoting it ever since, with the aim to promote the integration of the Andean countries in the field of university education. Currently, the UASB seats in Sucre, Bolivia (since 1985), Quito, Ecuador (since 1992), Caracas, Venezuela ( since 2005) and regional offices in Cali, Colombia, and La Paz, Bolivia.
Objectives
The regional agenda of the Andean Community is determined essentially by the presidents of the Andean countries at their Summits. The priorities and their order vary by the rotating presidency.
Policy objectives
The main objective of the political agenda is the adoption of a common foreign policy. In this concept, the countries agreed in 1998. At national and international level, the CAN strives to reconcile the positions of individual countries to adopt common positions.
An important role is also played by the police and judicial cooperation to combat organized crime. A common position in the fight against drugs in 2001 led to the adoption of the Andean Cooperation Plan for the fight against illicit drugs and related crimes.
Economic objectives
It is aimed at a common internal market. Aim is to introduce a common external tariff, which is so far only available in batches, the creation of a common agricultural policy, the harmonization of certain legislation (competition, investment protection, double taxation), the harmonization of certain information, such as statistics, and meeting certain convergence criteria in macroeconomic policies (similar to the Stability and Growth Pact in the EU). Not only the goods but also the people should be able to circulate freely.
Although not explicitly mentioned by the Cartagena Agreement, goes from lit in Article 51. d planned harmonization of exchange, monetary, financial and fiscal policies of the Andean countries indirectly indicates that the CAN in the long term also aims at the establishment of economic and monetary union. The Economic and Monetary Union is regarded as the most perfect form of integration, since it implies quasi gradual merger of Member States' economies. In an economic and monetary union, Member States shall operate namely in addition a uniform economic policy, especially in the areas of financial and monetary policy, and have a single currency.
As regards external relations, are numerous international trade negotiations in the calendar of the agenda. There is the claim to speak on various committees with one voice: in most international forums, in trade negotiations with Mercosur, in the negotiations on the extension of trade preferences granted by the United States and the EU. In addition, the CAN expressed the desire to open negotiations with the EU on the Association Agreement, which purports to be a counterweight to the FTAA in the first place. How Mexico, Mercosur and Chile want to expand by free trade agreements, trade relations in the long run the Andean countries.
Importance
A common language of the Member States is Spanish. In the passes of the Member States is above the name of the state " Comunidad Andina ", similar to the EU.
The Andean Community is the third largest area of integration in America after NAFTA and Mercosur. However, the CAN is considerably smaller than the Mercosur. Following the withdrawal of Venezuela from the CAN she still continued to lose importance. Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez founded the discharge of his country with the made by Colombia and Peru signed bilateral trade agreements with the United States.
The relatively low importance of the Andean Community is also reflected in the fact that the comparatively rich Chile has an association with Mercosur membership in CAN previously preferred. However, the preference of the two Latin American economic blocs will change depending on the political economy. Meanwhile, Chile -actuated again approaching steps on the CAN, because it looks better ensured in this its free trade intentions that can afford it due to its strong economic structure. For Chile about a full accession to Mercosur would not be profitable because the joint would hurt (from the perspective of Chile higher ) external tariff of the competitiveness of its economy.
The exports of the Andean countries are less diversified and consist mostly of raw materials and products of first-stage processing. Colombia exported coal, minerals, coffee and cut flowers. Bolivia exports mainly minerals, but also recorded increasing gas exports. However, it must be noted that the energy exports go Bolivia, particularly in the Mercosur. In the CAN, it exports mainly agricultural products. This is the reason for the current balancing act of President Evo Morales between CAN and Mercosur. Ecuador exported mainly bananas, oil and shrimp.
Geography and Resources
The South American Andean region has a variety of climatic and geographical dimensions. Although all four countries have a share in the mountain range of the Andes and the Amazon basin, but they differ in other geographical conditions in some cases. These differences are responsible for ensuring that the political and economic interests of the countries diverge appreciably in the Andean Community, in part.
All Andean countries with significant natural resources are largely untapped, such as the potential of biodiversity, water resources, and marine resources. Also mineral resources are abundant.
Population
The Andean Community is a culturally and linguistically relatively homogeneous space dar. Although, the four countries have different indigenous peoples, but they all have the same ( official ) language ( Spanish ) and a similar historical background, as they part until the 19th century the Spanish colonial empire were. These commonalities they left, led by the Liberator Simón Bolívar, seeking the establishment of a common state, which, however, only between Venezuela, Ecuador and Colombia came about due to internal rivalries among the generals Bolívar, while Peru and Bolivia continued their existence as independent states. The dream of a "Greater Colombia ", also called " Bolivarian dream " ( sueño bolivariano ) called, went down in history and today represents the philosophical basis of the integration between the Andean countries dar.
Regarding the trends, the countries are similar: they all have a turned -insulated population growth, progressive urbanization and a relatively low average population density.