In 1993 the European Union and Central America signed a Framework Cooperation Agreement. This agreement entered into force on 01 March 1999. At the May 2002 EU-Latin American Summit the EU and six Central American countries -- Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama -- agreed to negotiate a new Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement, which was signed on 15 December 2003 in Rome.
The EU and Central American countries reiterated their goal of concluding an Association Agreement including a free trade area, in the EU-Latin America Summit in May 2004 in Guadalajara, Mexico, and in May 2005 at the EU-Central America Ministerial meeting in Luxembourg, at which Ministers welcomed the launching of a joint assessment exercise on regional economic integration and the setting up of an ad hoc joint working group in January 2005. The goal of concluding a comprehensive Association Agreement was reaffirmed at the EU-Central America summit held in Vienna, Austria in May 2006. The negotiations for the Association Agreement were launched on 28 June 2007 in Brussels. The first round took place in San Jose, Costa Rica on 22-26 October 2007. On 25-29 February 2008, Central America and the EU concluded the second round of negotiations in Brussels, Belgium. The third round of negotiations took place in El Salvador on 14 April 2008. The fourth round was held in Brussels on 14-18 July 2008. On 06-10 October 2008, countries concluded the fifth round of negotiations. The sixth round of negotiations took place in Brussels, Belgium on 26-30 January 2009.
On 06 April 2009, the EU issued a statement to inform about the temporary interruption of the negotiations for an Association Agreement
between the EU and Central America. A few days later, on 24 April 2009, the EU and Central America agreed to re-initiate negotiations for an agreement.
Trade negotiators from Central
American countries and the European
Union met on 03 February 2010 in an informal three-day meeting
in which they agreed to a work schedule with a view to finalizing an Association
Agreement in May. The seventh round of negotiations was held in Brussels on 22-26 February 2010 with Panama as an Observer, officially announcing its intention to join the negotiations.
A month later, trade negotiators held a new round of
technical discussions in Brussels. The negotiations were concluded in May 2010, in the framework of the Latin America-Caribbean and European Union Summit in Madrid, Spain. Central America and the European Union discussed how to move forward with the agreement during the XVI Meeting of the Joint Commission that took place on 08 February 2011 in Brussels. On 22 March 2011, Central America and the European Union initialed the agreement after its legal review. On 25 October 2011, the European Commission reviewed and approved the agreement, fulfilling the first stage of the signature process. In the next stage, the Council of the European Union, in turn, will review the agreement and authorize its signature.
| Documents relating to the negotiations |
| 25 October 2011 |
European Comission reviews and approves the Central America-EU Association Agreement    |
| 22
March 2011 |
Central America and EU initialed Association Agreement |
| 08 February 2011 |
XVI Meeting of the Central America-EU Joint Commission |
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Minutes of the XVI Central America-EU Joint Commission |
| 18 May 2010 |
Central America and European Union concluded negotiations |
| 10 May 2010 |
Progress in negotiations between Central America and European Union |
| 05 May 2010 |
Guatemala, Guatemala City. Negotiations between Central America and European Union continue |
| 28 April 2010 |
Brussels, Belgium. Eighth round of negotiations between Central America and European Union |
| 22-26
March 2010 |
Brussels, Belgium.
Trade negotiators held a new round of
technical discussions
|
| 26 February 2010 |
Conclusion of the Economic Association Agreement expected in May 2010 at the EU-ALC Summit in Madrid |
| 22-26 February 2010 |
Brussels, Belgium. Seventh round of negotiations of an association agreement Central America-EU |
| 03
February 2010 |
The EU and Central America agreed on a work
program with the aim of finalizing an
Association Agreement in May |
| 24 April 2009 |
The EU and Central America agreed to re-initiate negotiations for an agreement |
| 06 April 2009 |
Statement on the interruption of the
negotiations for an Association Agreement
between the EU and Central America |
| 26-30 January 2009 |
Brussels, Belgium. Sixth round of negotiations of an association agreement Central America-EU |
| 06-10 October 2008 |
Guatemala. Fifth round of negotiations of an association agreement Central America-EU |
| 14-18 July 2008 |
Brussels, Belgium. Fourth round of negotiations of an association agreement Central America-EU |
| 16 April 2008 |
El Salvador. Third round of negotiations of an association agreement Central America-EU |
| 29 February 2008 |
Brussels, Belgium. Central America and the EU held second round of negotiations of an association agreement |
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II round of negotiations: Presentations on sanitary and phitosanitary measures |
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EC legislation on food additives |
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EC legal instruments to ensure and to control the implementation of the EC legislation |
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European Commission Health and Consumer Protection Directorate General Unit E3 - Chemicals, contaminants and pesticides |
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The Food and Veterinary Office |
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Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs |
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Legislation on residues of pharmacologically active substances |
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Status of Central American Customs Union in the area of sanitary and phitosanitary measures |
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II round of negotiations: Presentations on technical barriers to trade |
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The regulatory approach in the internal market |
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Free Movement of Goods |
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Functioning of Directive 98/34/EC |
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The EU market surveillance framework |
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Overview of the European institutional framework on standardisation |
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The European standardisation. An important pillar for the quality infrastructure |
| 26 October 2007 |
San Jose, Costa Rica. Central America and the EU held first round of negotiations of an association agreement |
| 29 June 2007 |
Central America and the European Union start negotiations for new association agreement. |
| 19 April 2007 |
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
San José Dialogue Ministerial Meeting Between the European Union Troika and
the Ministers of the Countries of Central America. Joint communiqué |
| 13 May 2006 |
II EU-Central America Summit Joint Communiqué |
| 2 March 2006 |
Nicaragua. XIV Central America-EU Joint Commission meeting Act |
| 26 May 2005 |
XXI San José Dialogue Ministerial meeting between the EU and Central America Joint Communiqué |
| 19 January 2005 |
Act, XIII Central America-EU Joint Commission meeting |
| 28 May 2004 |
Guadalajara Declaration |
| 15 December 2003 |
Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement |
| 03 October 2003 |
XII Central America-EU Joint Commission |
| 22 February 1993 |
Framework Cooperation Agreement |
| Sources: European Union, Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de El Salvador, Ministerio de Comercio de Costa Rica (COMEX), Acuerdo de Asociación entre Centroamérica y la Unión Europea- Costa Rica. |
The 1993 Framework Agreement established a Joint Committee and a Sub-Committee for Cooperation that meet regularly. In addition, an ad hoc Joint Working Group was established to conduct a joint assessment of regional economic integration.
| Documents relating to the ad hoc working group |
| 7-8 November 2005 |
San Salvador, El Salvador. III Meeting of the ad hoc Central America - EU working group |
| 19-20 July 2005 |
Brussels, Belgium. II Meeting of the ad hoc Central America - EU working group |
| 30 March-01 April 2005 |
San José, Costa Rica. I Meeting of the ad hoc Central America - EU working group |
| Source: European Union; Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de El Salvador |
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