PURPOSE: to conclude the Political Dialogue and
Cooperation Agreement with the Republics of Costa Rica, El
Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
BACKGROUND: the EU-Central America Political Dialogue and
Cooperation Agreement (PDCA) was signed on 15
December 2003 in Rome.
Due to the mixed nature of this agreement, Member
States had to ratify the agreement. This phase was concluded in
December 2011 with the deposit of the last two outstanding
ratifications.
According to the provisions of the agreement, it will
enter into force one month after the deposit of this instrument of
approval.
The Agreement should now be approved on behalf of the
European Union.
IMPACT ASSESSMENT: no impact assessment was carried
out.
LEGAL BASIS: Article 212(3), in conjunction with
Article 218(6)(a) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union (TFEU).
CONTENT: under this Agreement, it is proposed that the
Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement with the Republics of
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama
be approved on behalf of the Union.
The text of the Agreement is presented in accordance
with the 2003 version. It aims
to:
- consolidate the political dialogue and economic
cooperation process built up between the Parties under the San Jose
Dialogue initiated in 1984 and renewed in Florence in 1996 and in
Madrid in 2002;
- strengthen the programme of cooperation governed by
the Framework Cooperation Agreement between the European Economic
Community and the Republics concerned;
- promote sustainable development in both regions
through a development partnership involving all relevant
stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector, in
line with the principles set out in the Monterrey Consensus and the
Johannesburg Declaration, and its Plan for
Implementation;
- establish cooperation on migration issues. The
Agreement shall also prepare the way for new initiatives for
pursuing common goals and establishing common ground in areas such
as regional integration, poverty reduction and social cohesion,
sustainable development, regional security and stability, conflict
prevention and resolution, human rights, democracy, good
governance, migration, and the fight against corruption, illegal
immigrants, counter-terrorism, drugs, and small arms and light
weapons.
The Political Dialogue Title institutionalises and
strengthens the San Jose Dialogue process. The Cooperation Title is
based on current cooperation with broadened coverage to include new
areas of cooperation such as human rights, migration and
counter-terrorism.
The new EU-Central America Agreement focuses solely on
political dialogue and cooperation and does not contain a trade
component.
BUDGETARY IMPLICATION: the proposal has no
implications for the EU budget.