The EU's relations with Central America: Quo Vadis?

Citation

Olmos Giupponi MB (2010) The EU's relations with Central America: Quo Vadis?. ZEI Regional Integration Observer, 4 (1), p. 7. http://www.zei.uni-bonn.de/dateien/rio/vol4no1

Abstract
First paragraph: Over the past twenty years the relationships between the EU and Central American countries have gone through different periods. During the 80s the EU played an important role in the democratization of the Central American region. Indeed, within the framework of the external relations the European Community contributed to regional stabilization after years of armed conflict through the San José Dialogue Process. In the 1990s the reform of the regional integration process with the adoption of the Tegucigalpa Protocol (1991), which established the Central American Integration System (SICA) and the EU-LAC Summits, contributed to defining a new understanding between the regions. Over the first decade of the 2000's interregional relationships focused on the adoption of a new regulatory framework: in 2003 a new Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement was signed and in 2007 negotiations for an Association Agreement were launched. Today interregional relationships face a new phase. From the EU's perspective, the Association Agreement is envisaged as a comprehensive Agreement, embracing all the relations of the EU with Central America and is comprised of three pillars: political dialogue, cooperation and trade. Through the agreement the EU attempts to enhance the political dialogue between both regions, intensify and improve cooperation in a vast variety of areas and to enhance and facilitate bi-regional trade and investments.

Journal
ZEI Regional Integration Observer: Volume 4, Issue 1