The Andean Community (Spanish: Comunidad Andina, CAN) is a free trade area with the objective of creating a customs union comprising the South American countries (Andean states) of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The trade bloc was called the Andean Pact until 1996 and came into existence when the Cartagena Agreement was signed in 1969.
The Andean Community has 113 million inhabitants over an area of 4,700,000 km2. Its GDP has gone up to US$745.300 billion in 2005, including Venezuela, which was a member at the time.
The original Andean Pact was founded in 1969 by Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. In 1973 the pact gained its sixth member, Venezuela. In 1976, however, its membership was again reduced to five when Chile withdrew. Venezuela announced its withdrawal in 2006, reducing the Andean Community to four member states.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Population | 113 million |
Area | 4,700,000 km2 |
GDP | US$745.300 billion |
Time Zone | UTC-5 hours |
What You'll Learn
- Citizens of these countries can now freely live, work and travel within them
- The countries are part of the Andean Community, a free trade area
- The Andean Community has a population of 113 million people
- The countries are working towards a common electricity market
- The countries have a shared history of agreements and cooperation
Citizens of these countries can now freely live, work and travel within them
Citizens of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru can now freely live, work, and travel within these four countries. This is due to the Andean Community, a free trade area with the objective of creating a customs union. The Andean Community came into existence when the Cartagena Agreement was signed in 1969. The trade bloc was called the Andean Pact until 1996 and was founded by Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. Since then, Chile and Venezuela have withdrawn from the Andean Community.
Citizens of the member countries can enter the other Andean Community member states without the requirement of a visa. Travellers should present the authorities with their national ID cards.
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The countries are part of the Andean Community, a free trade area
Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru are all part of the Andean Community, a free trade area with the objective of creating a customs union. The Andean Community was formerly known as the Andean Pact until 1996 and was formed when the Cartagena Agreement was signed in 1969. The Andean Community has 113 million inhabitants over an area of 4,700,000 square kilometres. Its headquarters are in Lima, Peru.
The Andean Community was founded by Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. In 1973, Venezuela became the pact's sixth member, but in 1976, Chile withdrew, reducing the Andean Community to five member states. Venezuela also withdrew in 2006, leaving the Andean Community with four member states.
The Andean Community has several institutions that seek to facilitate integration, including the Andean Presidential Council, the Commission of the Andean Community, the Andean Parliament, the Court of Justice of the Andean Community, the Latin American Reserve Fund, the Andean Development Corporation, and various business and labour advisory councils.
In 1993, a free-trade zone was created for Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. In 1994, the Andean Community endorsed an accord between Colombia, Venezuela, and Mexico to phase out tariffs and began developing a framework to define a joint foreign policy.
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The Andean Community has a population of 113 million people
The Andean Community is a free trade area with the objective of creating a customs union. It was established in 1969 when the Cartagena Agreement was signed, and it was known as the Andean Pact until 1996. The Andean Community is made up of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, and it has a population of 113 million people. The trade bloc's GDP was US$745.3 billion in 2005, including Venezuela, which was a member at the time.
The Andean Community has its headquarters in Lima, Peru, and it covers an area of 4,700,000 square kilometres. The original Andean Pact was founded by Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. In 1973, Venezuela became the pact's sixth member, but Chile withdrew in 1976. Venezuela announced its withdrawal in 2006, reducing the Andean Community to four member states.
In 2005, the Andean Community and Mercosur, the two main trading blocs of South America, began negotiating a merger with a view to creating a "South American Free Trade Area" (SAFTA). In 2012, Venezuela achieved full membership of Mercosur, making it bigger than the Andean Community in terms of the number of members for the first time.
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The countries are working towards a common electricity market
The Andean Community Commission (CAN), comprising Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, is working towards a common electricity market. In December 2023, the CAN approved a community standard to launch the short-term Regional Andean Electricity Market. This project, which started in 2017, aims to achieve electrical interconnection between the four countries.
The electrical interconnection will allow relief to areas affected by natural emergencies. The Andean region is susceptible to earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods, and droughts. The Regional Andean Electricity Market will provide energy to affected areas in cases of disasters and emergencies.
The Andean Community is a free trade area with the objective of creating a customs union. In 1999, the Andean Community and Mercosur began negotiating a merger with a view to creating a "South American Free Trade Area". On December 8, 2004, the Andean Community signed a cooperation agreement with Mercosur and published a joint letter of intention for future negotiations towards integrating all of South America in a Union of South American Nations (USAN), patterned after the European Union.
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The countries have a shared history of agreements and cooperation
Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru share a history of agreements and cooperation. The Andean Community (CAN), a free trade area with the objective of creating a customs union, comprises these four South American countries. The Andean Community came into existence in 1969 when the Cartagena Agreement was signed, and it was called the Andean Pact until 1996. Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru were the original signatories of the Andean Pact, and Venezuela joined in 1973. However, Chile withdrew in 1976, and Venezuela announced its withdrawal in 2006, reducing the Andean Community to four member states.
In addition to the Andean Community, Bolivia is also a member of the WTO, UNASUR, and ALBA. Bolivia's attitude is considered crucial to the relationship between UNASUR and ALBA. Bolivia has also been accepted as a member of Mercosur and started the process of achieving full membership within four years.
Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru have also worked together as part of Gran Colombia, or Greater Colombia, which existed from 1819 to 1831. Gran Colombia was a unitary centralist state that encompassed much of northern South America and part of southern North America. It included present-day Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Panama, and Venezuela, along with parts of northern Peru, northwestern Brazil, and claimed the Essequibo region. Gran Colombia was constituted as a unitary centralist state, and its history was marked by a struggle between supporters of a centralized government and those who favoured decentralization.
In recent years, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru have also cooperated through a trade agreement with the European Union. This agreement aims to open up markets, improve stability, and foster regional integration among the Andean countries. Bolivia also has the possibility to seek accession to this trade agreement.
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Frequently asked questions
The Comunidad Andina, or CAN, is a free trade area with the objective of creating a customs union comprising the South American countries (Andean states) of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru.
The Comunidad Andina has 113 million inhabitants over an area of 4,700,000 km2.
The purpose of the Comunidad Andina is to accelerate the socioeconomic development of the Andean countries through the integration of Andean foreign trade.
In 2021, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru agreed to allow their citizens to live, work, and move freely between the four territories.
The associated countries of the Comunidad Andina are Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay.