Lima, July 19, 2006.- The Andean Community, in the light of the commitments stemming from the joint assessment exercise with the European Union, resumed the tasks on the Andean agenda for economic integration.  In this context, a meeting held today in Lima of the CAN Commission, consisting of the Ministers of Trade of the Andean countries, established priorities, procedures and deadlines for completion of the priority tasks.

Under the chairmanship of Commission Chair and Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Bolivia, María Luisa Ramos, a schedule of specific meetings and actions having to do with Andean trade integration was approved, with a view to launching the negotiation of an Association Agreement with the EU, thereby unmistakably signaling the CAN’s determination to move toward that objective. 

On comparing the recommendations emanating from the CAN-EU assessment process that were agreed upon last week in Brussels with the status of the actions provided for in the Andean Trade Integration Deepening Program set up last year  before the CAN’s problems of recent months, the Ministers were pleased to find that they tallied closely and decided upon working schedules in the area of services; the adoption of new international highway transportation regulations; the definition of a common tariff policy and --in close connection with this-- the establishment of a starting point for the tariff reduction process vis-à-vis the European Union and the development of the customs legislation agenda. 

In addition, during today’s meeting, the Commission Members approved five new Community norms concerning Community customs traffic; the harmonization of the substantive and procedural aspects of value-added type taxes and the harmonization of excise type taxes; Bolivia’s incorporation into the general framework for the interconnection of electric systems and intra-Community electricity exchange; and the protection of telecommunications users in the CAN.