Central American, EU officials meet on Association Agreement
Xinhua | 2009-04-30
Central American, EU officials meet on Association Agreement
MEXICO CITY, April 29 (Xinhua) — Trade negotiators from the European Union and the Central American nations met in Brussels last week and agreed to renew negotiations for an Association Agreement (AA), according to news reaching here from El Salvador on Wednesday.
The two sides agreed to set up a bi-regional working group to study possible financial mechanisms designed to help regional development.
The Salvadorian Economy Ministry said in a statement that the next meeting will be on May 14 in Prague, and will be followed by a July 6-10 negotiating round in Brussels.
The EU has put in place 11 AAs since 1998 and signed a number of others with partly ratified.
The agreements typically include tariff-free access for signatory country goods to the EU and may also include financial assistance, in exchange for commitments to reform on trade, politics or human rights.
