Lima, September 30, 2004. Spain repeated its commitment to decisively foster the signing of an Agreement of Association between the European Union and the Andean Community.

This was stated in a communication forwarded by the President of the Spanish Government, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, to CAN Secretary General, Ambassador Allan Wagner Tizón, dated in Madrid, on September 2 of this year.

”Let there be no doubt that Spain will remain fully committed to this process, it will promote it and see to its speedy approval, within all possibilities” stated the President of the Spanish Government in his letter.

The CAN-EU Agreement of Association was given a strong boost in the European Union - Latin America and Caribbean Summit, held last May in Guadalajara, with the attendance of Heads of State from both continents.

The Joint Declaration approved on that occasion recognizes the need to promote the Agreement through a joint valuation of the Andean Community’s economic integration process, which must be followed by the actual negotiation of the association and free trade agreement.

The start of this valuation process has been announced for November of this year, when the Mixed EU-CAN Commission meets in Brussels.

In a paragraph of his communication, President Rodríguez Zapatero states that he “vividly shares” the interest of the Andean Community’s General Secretariat to sign the Agreement of Association between the two economic blocks.