Lima, July 14, 2004. The Andean Council of Foreign Affairs Ministries and the Andean Community Commission may hold remote meetings on real time and adopt Declarations and Decisions through communications technological means.

The Community’s norm which authorizes this type of meetings was approved within the framework of the Andean Presidential Summit, during a meeting held in Quito by the Foreign Affairs Ministers in a meeting which also included Foreign Trade Ministers.

This norm, which is also applicable to Councils, Committees, Specialists’ Meetings and Ad Hoc Groups, holds the meetings and the resolutions adopted thereby, as being valid, creating conditions for their more frequent celebration, with cost savings consequences.

The Decision approved stipulates that the Andean Community’s General Secretariat and the member countries must guarantee the availability of the infrastructure and communication technological means to make remote meetings possible.

Since 2001, the CAN General Secretariat launched a program to use electronic communication means, with the purpose of taking advantage of computer and communication technology to hold meetings and work sessions within the scope of the duties and objectives of the Andean Community’s integration process.

Communication means and electronic technology have frequently allowed for remote meetings to be held. Simultaneously, a process was started for the purchase of the equipment and technological infrastructure to allow entry into the video-conferences world.

This process ended successfully on June 4 of this year, with a meeting of the Commission’s Alternate Representatives.