December 17, 1996:
Signing of the Economic Complementarity
Agreement for the creation of a Free-Trade
zone between Bolivia and Mercosur.
CAN-Mercosur
Negotiations
April 16, 1998:
The Framework Agreement
for the creation of a Free-Trade Zone
between the Andean Community and Mercosur is
signed in Buenos Aires. The document
stipulates that that objective will be
attained in two stages: The first, to be
concluded with a Tariff Preferences
Agreement scheduled to become effective on
October 1, 1988 and to remain in force until
December 31, 1999, and the second, with the
signing of a Free-Trade Agreement that will
enter into effect on January 1, 2000.
June
to September 1998:
Three meetings are held
for the negotiation of the Tariff
Preferences Agreement (the First from May 30
to June 2, the Second from August 4 to 6,
and the Third from September 9 to 11).
September 22 to 25, 1998:
At the Fourth
Negotiation Meeting held in Lima, the
countries decide to extend the negotiations
to March 31. After the necessary
consultations, they also take the decision
to also extend to that date the Partial
Scope Agreements signed within the framework
of LAIA, which constitute the so-called "historical
inheritance."
November 6, 1998:
The Ministers on the
Mercosur Council and the Ministers of the
Andean Community Commission issue a series
of guidelines in Montevideo for hastening
the negotiation of the Tariff Preferences
Agreement.
November 1998 to February 1999:
Three negotiation
meetings are held (the Fifth in November
1998, the Sixth in January 1999, and the
Seventh in February).
February 26, 1999:
The Andean Council of
Foreign Ministers signs a Declaration in
Bogota, stating that "the strengthening of
relations between CAN and Mercosur in all
spheres is a priority political objective."
March 17 to 19, 1999:
The Eighth Meeting for
the Negotiation of the Tariff Preferences
Agreement is held in Lima.
Launching of
two negotiation processes
March 28, 1999:
Brazil announces its
decision to negotiate the Tariff Preferences
Agreement unilaterally with the Andean
Community.
April 12, 1999:
After accepting the
Brazilian proposal, the Andean Community
Commission informs the Foreign Ministers of
the Mercosur countries that it has decided
to move ahead collectively in negotiating
the Tariff Preferences Agreement, with
Brazil, on the one hand, and with Argentina,
Uruguay and Paraguay, on the other. In this
way, two negotiation processes are launched.
April 15, 1999:
Argentina signs the
extension of the bilateral agreements to
June 30 and Brazil does the same. Paraguay
and Uruguay, for their part, extend their
bilateral agreements with the CAN countries
to December 31, 1999.
April 21 to 23, 1999:
I CAN-Brazil Tariff
Preferences Agreement Negotiation Meeting
(Brasilia). The delegations exchange
viewpoints with regard to the parameters
that will orient the negotiations and
already reach "an agreement, in principle,
on 275 products which, added to the almost
1,100 products agreed upon previously,
represents nearly one-half of the product
universe under negotiation."
May
12 to 15, 1999:
II Negotiation Meeting
(Lima), where considerable advances are made
in all of the sectors involved.
Approximately 800 new subitems are agreed
upon, thereby totaling 2,100 subitems on
which preliminary agreements have been
reached, or roughly 75% of the products
being negotiated.
June
1 to 4, 1999:
III Negotiation Meeting
(Lima), at which the delegations review all
of the pending products and substantial
headway is made. In this round, a total of
about 2,540 subitems have been agreed upon,
representing in the neighborhood of 85% of
the products under negotiation. The two
delegations also exchange viewpoints about
the Specific Requirements of Origin for the
Textile and Garment Sector and make
important advances in defining them.
June
21 to 25, 1999:
IV CAN-Brazil
Negotiation Meeting (Brasilia), which
concludes "the negotiation of the margins of
preference for the products covered by the
Agreement," amounting to a universe of over
3,000 tariff subitems.
June
30 to July 2, 1999:
CAN-Brazil Meeting on the Fixed Tariff
Preferences Agreement, for the purpose of
putting the finishing touches to the
technical and administrative adjustments
needed for that agreement.
July 3,
1999: The Andean Community and Brazil
conclude the Fixed Tariff Preferences
Agreement.
August 16,
1999 Partial scope economic
complementarity agreement No. 39, signed on
August 12, enters into effect for a two-year
period between the Governments of Andean
Community Member Countries, Colombia,
Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela, and the
Government of Brazil.
October 28
and 29, 1999: The Andean Community and
Argentina launch their negotiation of a
Trade Preferences Agreement, similar to that
signed by the CAN with Brazil, which will
replace the bilateral agreements in force
and will help to lay the groundwork for the
establishment of a free trade area between
Mercosur and the CAN.
February
15th - 18th and March 7th - 10th 2000
The third and fourth meetings of the Andean
Community and Argentina were held and
significant progress was made with the
negotiation of the Preferences Agreement.
March 27th
to 31st 2000 The Andean Community and
Argentina completed the negotiations for the
whole range of products of interest to CAN
with the exception of a few, reaching a
consensus on the regulatory part of the
Preferences Agreement. It was decided to
extend the bilateral agreements currently in
force for a further 60 days in order to
implement this new agreement.
June 29,
2000 The Governments of Colombia,
Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela -Member
Countries of the Andean Community-- sign a
partial scope economic complementarity
agreement with the Government of Argentina.
July 13 and
14, 2000. The Administrative Committee
of CAN-Brazil Partial Scope Economic
Complementarity Agreement No. 39 holds its
First Meeting in Lima, Peru.
August 1,
2000. The Partial Economic
Complementation Accord between the Andean
Community and Argentina came into force.
September
1, 2000. Meeting of South American
Presidents in Brasilia, at which "the Heads
of State of the Mercosur and of the Andean
Community (CAN) decided to start
negotiations to establish as soon as
possible, by January 2002 at the latest, a
Free Trade Area" between the two blocks.
April 26,
2001. Bilateral Technical Meeting
Paraguay - Andean Community, in the course
of which the two parties exchanged ideas on
an Economic Complementation Accord on Fixed
Preferences.
April 27,
2001. The representatives of the
MERCOSUR and the Andean Community (CAN) met
in Asunción (Paraguay), to resume
negotiations for setting up a Free Trade
Area between the two blocks.
July 17, 2001. The La Paz Ministerial
Declaration is made, establishing the
Mechanism for Political Dialogue and
Coordination between the Andean Community
and MERCOSUR and Chile. The Foreign
Ministers comprise this instrument, which
will follow up the approved agreements,
promote political cooperation and propose
the agenda, site and timing of the
Ministerial meetings.
April 11,
2002. The Foreign Ministers of the
Andean Community and Mercosur countries,
gathered in San José, Costa Rica at the
Sixteenth Summit Meeting of Heads of State
and Government of the Rio Group, underscore,
in a joint communiqué “the economic, social
and political priority their Governments
attribute to the convergence of the
integration processes of the Andean
Community and of Mercosur and Chile in the
South American context.”
May 10,
2002. The Andean Community and Mercosur
resume their negotiations to establish a
Free Trade Area between the two blocs.
July 26,
2002. The Ministers of Foreign Affairs
and of Trade of the Andean Community and
MERCOSUR, at the Second Meeting of South
American Presidents, agree to give a boost
at the highest level to the existing
political dialogue mechanism and to the
economic and trade aspects, in order to
strengthen the links of cooperation between
the two subregions.
September
15, 2002. The Foreign Ministers and
Trade Policy Officers of the Andean
Community and Mercosur agree in a press
communiqué issued in New York, to hold the
Second Meeting of the Political Dialogue
Agreement in December and to continue the
CAN-Mercosur negotiations with a view to
concluding them before year-end 2002.
