Towards a new stage of regional integration
in Latin America? |
por Félix Peña
September 2022
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Two recent events contribute to anticipate the beginning
of a new stage of integration among Latin American countries. These events
reflect recent political changes resulting from the trends towards the
appreciation of democracy and economic and social development that still
characterize Latin American countries. They are inserted in a highly uncertain
global context where it becomes increasingly difficult to hold optimistic
visions about the future of the political and economic realities at global
scale and in each different region.
The first event is the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between
two relevant countries in the Andean area of South America.
The second event is related to the results of the meeting of Presidents
of the Andean Community of Nations that took place on August 29 in Lima,
Peru.
The development of these two events will have to be closely watched
in order to have a clearer picture of the effects and scope of an eventual
new stage in Latin American regional integration. Depending on how they
evolve and together with other events that may be imagined from a necessary
and desirable positive vision of the future of the region, they may contribute
to the emergence of this new stage.
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It is possible to highlight two recent events that contribute to anticipate
the beginning of an eventual new stage in regional integration among Latin
American countries. Following them closely would at least provide arguments
to reverse the trend that has been evident in recent times, towards a
certain irrelevance and a lack of credibility of the policies and agreements
that are linked to the concept of economic integration among the countries
of our region.
These events have taken place between countries that belong to an area
that has led South American initiatives towards greater regional integration,
the so-called Andean Group, which later became the current Andean Community
of Nations (CAN). It has been over fifty years of different forms and
intensities of cooperation between nations belonging to a valuable geographic
sub-region of Latin America, characterized by the influence of the Andes
Mountains.
Moreover, these are facts that reflect recent political changes that
originate in the trend towards the appreciation of democracy and economic
and social development, which continues to characterize Latin American
countries. They are inserted in a turbulent and uncertain global context,
which makes it difficult to hold optimistic views on the future of political
and economic realities, both at global scale and within the different
regions.
A first fact to be highlighted is the recent reestablishment of diplomatic
relations between two important countries in the Andean area and the Latin
American region. We are referring to Colombia and Venezuela, neighboring
countries that played an important role in the founding years of the then
Andean Group.
owever, the fact that diplomatic relations have now been re-established,
are stable and therefore normal, does not necessarily mean that the conditions
for ensuring future joint work between these neighboring nations can be
effectively met. However, it does signal a change that was necessary,
in this case, in order to take further steps towards the stability and
deepening of possible joint work.
The second significant fact is the XXII Meeting of the Andean Presidential
Council that took place on August 29. Its four full members are Bolivia,
Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The original version of the current Andean
Community of Nations was created by the Cartagena Agreement in 1969. In
the first stage of the former Andean Group, Chile and Venezuela were also
members.
The meeting of the four Andean Presidents was held in Lima (see the
full text of the Declaration of the XXII Meeting of the Andean Presidential
Council at www.comunidadandina.org). It is worth mentioning point 17 of
the Declaration in which the Presidents ``expressed their interest in
working towards the expansion of the sub-regional bloc, and in this sense
the Member States will analyze the convenience of inviting other countries
of the region to join the mechanism, with the purpose of constituting
an expanded, robust bloc that increases trade, favors social and economic
development and promotes the effective integration of Latin America".
Pedro Castillo, President of Peru, referred specifically to achieving
the return of Chile and Venezuela, and to incorporating Argentina as a
member of the Andean Community of Nations (CAN). Regarding the incorporation
of Argentina, Castillo said, "Why not think of a sub-regional integration
that, based on the idea of an Andean homeland, reaches the sister Republic
of Argentina, with which we share not only the Andes mountain range but
also this common and historical heritage of the original peoples of Tahuantinsuyo".
In turn, President Gustavo Petro of Colombia referred to the need for
the CAN to be extended to Chile, Venezuela and Argentina in order to strengthen
its voice on the world stage. The President of Bolivia, Luis Arce, proposed
strengthening the rapprochement between the CAN and Mercosur with the
articulation, complementation and convergence between both blocs in areas
of mutual interest (on the points mentioned in this paragraph, see the
Telam Digital article dated August 29, 2022 and the article published
on August 31, 2022 in "Página 12" under the title "The
Andean Community is looking for new members").
Depending on how the two above-mentioned developments unfold, together
with others that can be imagined at least from a necessary and advisable
positive vision of the region's future, they may contribute to the emergence
of a new stage of regional integration.
This will be more feasible if the efforts aimed at joint work among the
countries of the region are supported by actions conceived and advanced
in the development of credible rules at the multilateral level of the
WTO and at the multiple plurilateral levels that have an effective global
and interregional scope. They might also be strengthened depending on
the quality, intensity and effectiveness of the agreements that the Latin
American countries (especially the South American ones) conclude at the
interregional level with each of the major global competitors, in particular,
with the European Union, the United States and China.
As we have pointed out previously in this monthly newsletter, if properly
used, the rules already included in the integration agreements between
the countries of the region, such as the 1980 Treaty of Asunción
that created ALADI and, in particular, its provisions on sectorial and
partial scope agreements, can contribute to the development of effective
strategies for joint work at regional level.
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Félix Peña es Director
del Instituto de Comercio Internacional de la Fundación ICBC; Director
de la Maestría en Relaciones Comerciales Internacionales de la
Universidad Nacional de Tres de Febrero (UNTREF); Miembro del Comité
Ejecutivo del Consejo Argentino para las Relaciones Internacionales (CARI).
Miembro del Brains Trust del Evian Group. Ampliar
trayectoria.
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