Social Cohesion has become one of the two driving forces in the relations between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean, together with regional integration, as of the agreements adopted at the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the two regions, in Guadalajara, Mexico in May 2004.

With the defining of its New Strategic Design, the Andean Community has begun to further an integration process conceived as the coordinating element between quality and equitable integration into the world economy and promotion of an economic development model that emphasizes the creation of decent employment and the closing of the social gap. This has made the development of a Social Agenda aimed at strengthening the social cohesion and democratic governance of the Andean countries a fundamental aim of subregional integration.

Among the most significant social advances made within the Andean integration process are the holding of the Andean Regional Conference on Employment; the adoption of Community social and labor instruments for dealing with labor migration within the subregion, social security and safety and health at work; the creation of various forums for society’s participation in the integration process; the formulation of a Regional Biodiversity Strategy and, above all, the recent approval of the Integrated Social Development Plan (PIDS).

The purpose of the PIDS is to reinforce subregional cooperation and coordination in the fight against poverty, exclusion and social inequity and to promote the gradual convergence of the social objectives and goals of the Andean Community Member Countries in order to bring down poverty and social exclusion rates in the region significantly, thereby reaching United National Millennium targets. This means bringing the social and employment promotion policies of the five countries progressively closer together and ensuring that society participates more fully in the integration process. For that reason, the Andean Community Member Countries have identified the Integrated Social Development Plan as a useful instrument for boosting social cohesion in the subregion from the vantage point of the integration process.

The European Union and the Andean Community share an approach that favors economic growth, together with more and better jobs, inclusion and social equity; that attributes priority to policies that will have a positive impact on the living standards of the population, particularly the most vulnerable sectors; and that promotes the participation of the citizens.

The confirmation that we share this approach, the lessons learned from Europe’s experience with social cohesion and integration and, more concretely, the European Social Agenda, together with the advances made in the Andean Social Agenda, are conducive to the strengthening of the dialogue and the intensification of cooperation between the two regions.

For all of these reasons, and with a view to reinforcing cooperation in the sphere of social cohesion, we state our intention to:

1. Strengthen the European Union – Andean Community dialogue on the social dimension of the European and Andean integration processes, using existing forums and mechanisms for that purpose.

2. Within that dialogue, to give priority attention to the vision, strategy, objectives and policies that uphold the social cohesion and democratic governance of the two regions, as well as the working methods, processes and instruments used to execute those policies.

3. In this connection, experiences will be exchanged with regard to the complementary nature of the economic, social and employment policies as interdependent objectives; the formulation of effective poverty reduction policies that will strengthen social protection systems, promote social inclusion and reinforce investment in human capital; and the promotion of reforms and fiscal agreements that will establish rights and duties for all citizens, include plans to reduce informal employment and promote a participatory approach, and expedite the dialogue with civil society and the academic world on promoting social cohesion.

4. Support the development and execution of the lines of action set out in the PIDS (Integrated Social Development Plan), for which purpose we will promote exchanges on the European experience with the new so-called “open method of coordination."

5. Work together to incorporate social cohesion as the priority driving force in the cooperation for the next programming period of 2007-2013.

Benita Ferrero-Waldner
Commissioner for Foreign Affairs
European Commission


Allan Wagner Tizón
Secretary General
Andean Community