Letter from Evo Morales
Februari 08, 2009
S.E/. José Manuel Durao BarrosoPRESIDENT of the European Commission
La Paz, 16 January 2009
Esteemed President
I profoundly regret that the European Commission has proposed to the Council of Europe that the negotiations for a Regional Association Agreement between the European Union and the Andean Community, as initiated under the Bolivian Presidency of CAN on 14 June 2007, be considered terminated.
Bolivia has always worked for a bloc-to-bloc agreement that strengthens regional integration and which includes, in a balanced and complementary manner, the three pillars of Political Dialogue, Co-operation and Commerce.
In this context, the Andean Presidents agreed in Guayaquil to proceed with this region-to-region negotiation, and requested a meeting at the highest level to discuss the flexibility of the European Union in light of the different economic approaches that exist within the countries of the Andean region and that were always put forward by our country.
The focus of Bolivia is to preserve the negotiation bloc-to-bloc, and in this has been close to the European spirit of integrating countries despite their differences, with respect for distinct ideological beliefs and models of development and to do search for the common good globally. This is the spirit of the founding of the European Union since the Treaty of Rome in 1957.
However, instead of seeking to keep regional negotiations going, and exploring in a constructive and imaginative manner how best to incorporate the different economic approaches of the Andean countries, the European Commission has made a proposal that seriously weakens the process of Andean integration and promotes bilateral commercial negotiations that divide the countries of CAN between those that are for a Free Trade Treaty, and others that want commercial agreements that consider actually existing differences, asymmetries and which do not limit our right to define our national policies regarding essential matters such as investment, services, intellectual property, state procurements and competition policy.
The new modality of negotiation that is proposed in his letter, privileges unilateral free trade treaties with the member states of CAN, reducing the pillars of Political Dialogue and Cooperation to simple appendices, and representing a hard blow to the Andean Community which is the oldest process of integration of the Americas.
In this respect, and with much pain, Bolivia sees that the main integrated bloc of the planet is bending under the pressure of two countries and mainly commercial interests, throwing to the wayside all the negotiation efforts for an integral Association Agreement only after a year and a half of conversations.
In this sense, we not only cannot accept the EC's new proposal, but we also think it will deepen the crisis within CAN and bring a new situation of conflict, including weakening the enforcement of the Agreements on Political Dialogue and Cooperation of 2003 that we have subscribed to within our respective regions.
I also wish to point out that Decision 667 of CAN and Tarija Declaration of 14 June 2007 established a negotiation mandate with the European Union on a bloc-by-bloc basis, and that a modification such as you propose requires a new decision by the Presidents of CAN.
On behalf of the Bolivian people, I would like to reiterate one more time that the bloc-by-bloc negotiation for the strengthening of the Andean process of integration is possible if the European Union sticks faithfully to its integration principles and adopts a broader position on the commercial issues that takes into account the great asymmetries between regions and which permits the sovereign application of different national policies of development.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my highest regard for His Excellency.
Mr. Evo Morales Ayma
Constitutional President of the Republic of Bolivia
Bolivia has always worked for a bloc-to-bloc agreement that strengthens regional integration and which includes, in a balanced and complementary manner, the three pillars of Political Dialogue, Co-operation and Commerce.
In this context, the Andean Presidents agreed in Guayaquil to proceed with this region-to-region negotiation, and requested a meeting at the highest level to discuss the flexibility of the European Union in light of the different economic approaches that exist within the countries of the Andean region and that were always put forward by our country.
The focus of Bolivia is to preserve the negotiation bloc-to-bloc, and in this has been close to the European spirit of integrating countries despite their differences, with respect for distinct ideological beliefs and models of development and to do search for the common good globally. This is the spirit of the founding of the European Union since the Treaty of Rome in 1957.
However, instead of seeking to keep regional negotiations going, and exploring in a constructive and imaginative manner how best to incorporate the different economic approaches of the Andean countries, the European Commission has made a proposal that seriously weakens the process of Andean integration and promotes bilateral commercial negotiations that divide the countries of CAN between those that are for a Free Trade Treaty, and others that want commercial agreements that consider actually existing differences, asymmetries and which do not limit our right to define our national policies regarding essential matters such as investment, services, intellectual property, state procurements and competition policy.
The new modality of negotiation that is proposed in his letter, privileges unilateral free trade treaties with the member states of CAN, reducing the pillars of Political Dialogue and Cooperation to simple appendices, and representing a hard blow to the Andean Community which is the oldest process of integration of the Americas.
In this respect, and with much pain, Bolivia sees that the main integrated bloc of the planet is bending under the pressure of two countries and mainly commercial interests, throwing to the wayside all the negotiation efforts for an integral Association Agreement only after a year and a half of conversations.
In this sense, we not only cannot accept the EC's new proposal, but we also think it will deepen the crisis within CAN and bring a new situation of conflict, including weakening the enforcement of the Agreements on Political Dialogue and Cooperation of 2003 that we have subscribed to within our respective regions.
I also wish to point out that Decision 667 of CAN and Tarija Declaration of 14 June 2007 established a negotiation mandate with the European Union on a bloc-by-bloc basis, and that a modification such as you propose requires a new decision by the Presidents of CAN.
On behalf of the Bolivian people, I would like to reiterate one more time that the bloc-by-bloc negotiation for the strengthening of the Andean process of integration is possible if the European Union sticks faithfully to its integration principles and adopts a broader position on the commercial issues that takes into account the great asymmetries between regions and which permits the sovereign application of different national policies of development.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my highest regard for His Excellency.
Mr. Evo Morales Ayma
Constitutional President of the Republic of Bolivia
