MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

“Return directive” freezes EU/Andean countries discussions

The European Commission has suspended the coming round of negotiations with the Andean community of Nations because of a lack of consensus in the Andean group as to the trade side of an association agreement under consideration since 2006.

The announcement was made official in a release from the Ecuadorian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The fourth round of negotiations was scheduled to take place from July 7 to 11 in Brussels but the "absence of joint positions" from the Andean countries (Bolivia, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru) regarding the trade side of the Association Agreement foundered the meeting. The Ecuadorian release added that the EC informed Andean counterparts of its decision to suspend the IV round of negotiations because of the lack of a common position, "specifically in the sub sectors of trade, sustainable development and intellectual property". The suspension of the round coincides with the severe criticism of South American countries towards the European Union because of its recently approved "return directive" which threatens to retain for up to 18 months undocumented immigrants. Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa who currently holds the pro tempore chair of the Andean Community had anticipated he favored freezing all negotiations with the EU, since it considered the "return directive" as a direct abuse of the human rights of immigrants, many of which are from South America. President Correa also announced he was in contact with his CAN counterparts to send a protest letter to the EU complaining about the "return directive", but Ecuadorian Foreign Affairs minister Maria Isabel Salvador said last week that EU emissaries had anticipated that the immigration issue could be included in the CAN-EU agenda.