Acuerdo de Cartagena: Integración Andina
Acuerdo de Cartagena: Integración Andina
The Trujillo Protocol of 1996 reformed the institutional structure by establishing the Andean Community and the Andean Integration System. It transformed the Junta del Acuerdo de Cartagena into the General Secretariat of the Andean Community and expanded regulatory powers to the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers .
The Cartagena Agreement aimed to address economic vulnerabilities by establishing a customs union and common market, enhancing negotiation capacity in international markets, reducing individual country vulnerability to external economic fluctuations, and supporting industrialization and sectoral economic development .
Major social and political advantages include increased international negotiation capacity, better defense of democratic principles and human rights, improved combating of drug and arms trafficking, and enhanced people movement and rights unification among member states .
Increased integration might exacerbate socio-economic disparities due to factors like currency overvaluation leading to cheaper imports, which harms national production and increases unemployment. This could widen the gap between the wealthy and the poor if integration primarily benefits those prepared to capitalize on macroeconomic policies .
Economic challenges include potential systemic financial instability due to interconnected markets, where economic disruptions in one country could affect others. This includes vulnerabilities to financial speculation, 'hot money' flows, and political events causing financial downturns .
The social and political disadvantages include the potential perception of ceded sovereignty to a supranational body, decreasing citizen engagement in the integration process, and the fear that integration benefits may not be recognized as belonging to the citizens .
The foundational principles included sectoral industrial development programs and the elimination of trade barriers among member countries. These principles were abandoned due to a lack of concrete achievements and perhaps the challenges in balancing national interests with regional commitments .
The Agreement suggests that a united economic block enhances the capacity to defend shared interests and enforce legal measures more effectively across member nations, potentially simplifying the coordination of efforts against drug and arms trafficking .
The primary objectives of the Cartagena Agreement were to promote balanced and harmonious development among member countries, accelerate growth and employment generation, facilitate regional integration aiming at forming a Latin American common market, reduce external vulnerability, and enhance solidarity among member countries while reducing developmental disparities .
Citizens might feel disconnected because the transfer of national competencies to a supranational body can make the integration process appear distant. Additionally, if the benefits of economic growth and integration are not visible in their daily lives, it can lead to apathy or resistance towards the process .