Lima. June 22, 2005.- Andean Community Secretary General, Allan Wagner Tizón, today proposed working on South American macroeconomic policy harmonization and convergence, while also taking into account the needs of our own integration process, with a view to playing a competitive and socially inclusive role in international trade.

After calling for reflection on how the CAN can achieve this convergence in the South American sphere, he drew attention to the fact that the Latin American Reserve Fund and the Andean Development Corporation –the Andean Integration System’s two financial institutions-- are already moving toward South Americanizing their memberships and activities, “thus fixing the course we should take.”

This will give the CAN’s macroeconomic harmonization efforts a new dimension that will further enhance future work in this area, he underscored.

Ambassador Wagner put forward the proposal at the opening of the meeting of the Permanent Technical Group (GTP) to follow up on the CAN’s macroeconomic convergence targets, consisting of high-level representatives of the Andean central banks and Ministries of Economy and experts from the Andean Development Corporation, the Latin American Reserve Fund, the European Union and ECLAC.

He stressed the key role the GTP can play in this broader harmonization effort and reported that areas of work are being identified for this new type of relationship in which all the South American countries are involved based on the principle of the convergence of the Andean Community, MERCOSUR and Chile.

He also called attention to the need to advance a series of harmonization measures that will effectively allow for the free circulation of goods and services and capital in the region. "While the objective of achieving a sole market is undoubtedly very important for our own integration process, it is also essential for obtaining a more efficient role in international trade that will be of greater benefit to our countries,” Wagner pointed out.

"Above and beyond the objectives we have set ourselves for our own integration process according to our benefits within this market, today it is a requirement for playing a competitive and socially inclusive part in world trade,” he insisted.