The Andean Community is an economic bloc in South America
The Andean Community of South America is an organization of States with an international legal status consisting of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, as well as the bodies and institutions comprising the Andean Integration System (Ace). The Andean Community was known by the Andean Community until 1996.
Incorporation
The Andean Community was established in 1969 by Bolivia, Colombia, Chile and Peru, under the signing of the Cartagena Convention on May 26, 1969, and Venezuela joined the Alliance in 1976, but withdrew from it in 2006 to protest the free trade agreements signed by Peru and Colombia with the United States.
Chile withdrew under Augusto Pinochet under the pretext of economic incompatibility between the two countries. Membership has been limited to only four countries since then.
The Andean countries have gained new members: Argentina (2005), Brazil (2005), Paraguay (2005), Uruguay (2005) and Chile (2006), but they have named themselves MERCOSUR to be the participating States, as well as two observer States : Mexico and Panama. Spain joined the group, but as a reminder.
In 1996, the Treaty on the Establishment of the Andean Court of Justice was signed, in addition to the 1979 Parliament and Council of Foreign Ministers. The group established a Presidential Council in 1991.
Headquarters
The General Secretariat, founded in 1997, is located in the capital Lima Lima.
Objectives
The Andean Community seeks to achieve a number of objectives, including:
To promote balanced and independent economic and political development through regional unity.
Facilitate the participation of Member States in the process of regional integration in order to gradually form a common market for Latin America.
Reducing exposure to external member countries and improving their status in the international economy.
To promote solidarity, reduce disparities in development among Member States, and seek continuous improvement of the standard of living of the people of the region.
Business relations
The Andean Group is working on forging trade relations with many countries and international organizations, including the European Union, which has established a strategic alliance that would lead to the signing of the Association Agreement, which includes a free trade agreement and the strengthening of relations between the two blocs.
The relations between the Andean Community and Mercoso, which had been reflected in the establishment of a free trade area and the implementation of political dialogue, had made it possible to reach a mutual link between the two blocs.
The United States is the main trading partner of the Andean Community, with 41% of exports to the United States, while 26% of imports.
The Andean Group and China signed an agreement in 2000 to establish a mechanism for political consultation and cooperation to promote cooperation, trade, business and technological exchanges and their dialogue on multilateral international issues.
The Andean Community also established with India and Russia a mechanism for political dialogue and cooperation to promote and diversify friendly relations and understanding and develop trade exchange, investment relations and cultural and scientific exchange.
In the framework of the implementation of its common foreign policy based on the principle of open regionalism, the Andean countries have intensified their contacts with the ASEAN General Secretariat and with the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC).
It is noteworthy that the Andes are part of the “Unassur”, a union that includes the countries of the Common Market of South America “Mercosur” and the Andean Community “.
Four members are members of the Andean Community (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru), five are members of MERCOSUR (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela) and three are outside the former two blocs: Chile, Guyana and Suriname, as well as two observer countries Mexico and Panama.