Lima, Dec. 18, 2009. The Andean Community was able to surmount the many problems that arose in 2009, thanks mainly to the strength of its institutions.  So affirmed CAN Secretary General, Freddy Ehlers, in assessing the situation for the year.   

He pointed out that, in effect, the Andean Community possesses mechanisms and instruments that enable it to address problems of different kinds, while ensuring the juridical security of the States and other economic and social actors in the integration process.   

For that reason –he added-, the CAN General Secretariat operated normally and even intensified its activities in areas like social development, political cooperation and the environment.   

He drew attention to the forceful performance of social activities, particularly with regard to issues concerning the social participation of indigenous peoples, communities of African descent, young people, consumers, workers and other new actors, as well as rural and border development.   

He stated that in the commercial area, economic factors stemming from the endogenous crisis had brought down figures on trade among the Andean countries.  “Intra-Community trade is estimated to have declined by approximately 15 percent in 2009,” he commented.   

Nonetheless, experts from the Ministries of Economy and Central Banks, he reported, had recently revealed the existence of “real signs of recovery in the Andean economies” and foresaw a return to pre-crisis economic growth levels in 2010.   “In the specific case of trade among the CAN Member Countries, growth is expected to top 15 percent this next year,” he added.   

The year 2010 holds major challenges for the Andean Community, of which one of the most important is to improve coordination among the various Latin American integration processes, including the CAN, MERCOSUR, UNASUR and other regional cooperation systems.