Colombian President Alvaro Uribe delivering a speech at the opening of the Fourteenth Meeting of the Andean Presidential Council, June 27, 2003

The Andean Community of Nations (in Spanish: Comunidad Andina de Naciones, abbreviated CAN) is a trade bloc that comprises the South American countries of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela. This trade bloc was formerly called the Andean Pact and was started with signing of the Cartagena Agreement in 1969. From the Opening ceremony of the Fourteenth Meeting of the Andean Presidential Council Quirama, Colombia, June 27, 2003 Colombian President Alvaro Uribe delivering a speech at the opening of the Fourteenth Meeting of the Andean Presidential Council, Photo: César Carrión - CNE Photo taken from http://www. ... From the Opening ceremony of the Fourteenth Meeting of the Andean Presidential Council Quirama, Colombia, June 27, 2003 Colombian President Alvaro Uribe delivering a speech at the opening of the Fourteenth Meeting of the Andean Presidential Council, Photo: César Carrión - CNE Photo taken from http://www. ... The Kingdom of Spain or Spain ( Spanish: Reino de España or España; Catalan: Regne dEspanya; Basque: Espainiako Erresuma; Galician: Reino da España) is a country located in the southwest of Europe. ... A trade bloc is a large free trade zone or near-free trade zone formed by one or more tax, tariff and trade agreements. ... South America South America is a continent crossed by the equator, with most of its area in the Southern Hemisphere. ... The Republic of Bolivia is a landlocked country in central South America. ... The Republic of Colombia is a country in north-western South America. ... The Republic of Ecuador is a country in northwestern South America, bounded by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. ... The Republic of Peru (Spanish: Perú; Quechua, Aymara: Piruw) is a country in western South America, bordering with Ecuador and Colombia to the north, Brazil to the east, Bolivia to the east, south-east and south, Chile to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ... The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (Spanish: República Bolivariana de Venezuela)1 is a country in northern South America. ...

The five countries together have 120 million inhabitants living in an area of 4,700,000 square kilometers, whose Gross Domestic Product in 2002 amounted to US$ 260 billion. The Andean Community is one of South America's two main trade blocs (the other one being Mercosur). In economics, the gross domestic product (GDP) is a measure of the amount of the economic production of a particular territory in financial capital terms during a specific time period. ... A trade bloc is a large free trade zone or near-free trade zone formed by one or more tax, tariff and trade agreements. ... Flag of Mercosur Mercosur or Mercosul (Spanish: Mercado Común del Sur, Portuguese: Mercado Comum do Sul, English: Southern Common Market) is a trading zone among Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, founded in 1991. ...

Mercosur and the Andean Community began negotiations in 1999 towards a merger of the two groupings, with the potential of creating a South American Free Trade Area (SAFTA). On December 8, 2004 it was announced the merger would be called the South American Community of Nations, patterned after the European Union. 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... December 8 is the 342nd day (343rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The South American Community of Nations (SACN) (Spanish: Comunidad Sudamericana de Naciones (CSN), Portuguese: Comunidade Sul-Americana de Nações (CSN)) will be a continent-wide free trade zone that will unite two existing free-trade organizations—Mercosur and the Andean Community—eliminating tariffs for non-sensitive products by 2014 and... The European Union or EU is an intergovernmental organisation of European countries, which currently has 25 member states. ...

History

• The groundwork for the Community was established in 1969 in Cartagena Agreement.
• In 1979, the treaty creating the Court of Justice was signed and the Andean Parliament created and the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers were created.
• In 1983, the treaty creating the Court of Justice entered into effect.
• In 1991, the presidents approved the open skies policy and agree to intensify integration.
• In 1992, Peru temporarily suspended its obligations under the Liberalization Program.
• In 1993 the Free Trade Zone entered into full operation for Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela.
• In 1994, the Common External Tariff was approved.
• In 1996, the Cartagena Agreement Commission approved the regulatory context for the establishment, operation, and exploitation of the "Simón Bolívar" Satellite System.
• In 1997, an agreement was reached for Peru's gradual incorporation into the Andean Free Trade Zone.
• In 1998, the Framework Agreement for the creation of a Free Trade Area between the Andean Community and the Mercosur was signed in Buenos Aires.
• In 2000, Meeting of the South American Presidents, at which the Andean Community Heads of State and Mercosur decide to launch negotiations for establishing a free trade area between the two blocs as rapidly as possible and by January 2002, at the latest.
• In August 2003, the Andean Community and Mercosur Foreign Ministers, during a meeting in Montevideo at which the CAN delivered a working proposal containing guidelines for the negotiation, reaffirmed their governments' political determination to move ahead with the negotiation of a free trade agreement between the two blocs.

See also: Central American Common Market, Free Trade Area of the Americas, Mercosur, Trade bloc Flag of Mercosur Mercosur or Mercosul (Spanish: Mercado Común del Sur, Portuguese: Mercado Comum do Sul, English: Southern Common Market) is a trading zone among Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, founded in 1991. ... Buenos Aires (Good Winds in Spanish, but more akin to Fair Winds, as in navigation) is the capital of Argentina and its largest city and port, as well as one of the largest cities in South America. ... Montevideo, Minnesota, Montevideo is the capital, chief port and largest city in Uruguay (population 1. ... The Central American Common Market (abbreviated CACM - in Spanish: Mercado Común Centroamericano, abbreviated MCCA) is an economic trade organization between five nations of Central America. ... The Free Trade Area of the Americas or FTAA (in Spanish: Área de Libre Comercio de las Américas, ALCA; in French: Zone de libre-échange des Amériques, ZLEA; in Portuguese: Área de Livre Comércio das Américas, ALCA) is a proposed agreement to eliminate or reduce trade... Flag of Mercosur Mercosur or Mercosul (Spanish: Mercado Común del Sur, Portuguese: Mercado Comum do Sul, English: Southern Common Market) is a trading zone among Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, founded in 1991. ... A trade bloc is a large free trade zone or near-free trade zone formed by one or more tax, tariff and trade agreements. ...

External links

• Andean Community official webpage (http://www.comunidadandina.org/endex.htm)
• BBC - S America Creates Single Market (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4079505.stm)