Andean Community

The EU has a comprehensive trade agreement with Colombia and Peru. The agreement has been provisionally applied with Peru since 1 March 2013 and with Colombia since 1 August 2013.

On 1 January 2017, Ecuador joined the trade agreement.

The agreement gradually opens up markets on both sides and increases the stability and predictability of the trade and investment environment.

Bolivia, a member of the Andean Community, can also seek accession to the trade agreement.

Trade picture

• The EU is the third-largest trade partner and a major investor in the Andean countries. In 2023, total trade of the EU with the Andean countries was worth around €33 billion.
• The Andean countries export agricultural products (45%), mineral products (22%) and fisheries products (11%) to the EU.
• The EU mostly exports manufactured goods to the Andean countries (90%), notably machinery and transport equipment (36.5%) and chemical products (26.9%).

The EU and the Andean Community

The EU, Colombia and Peru concluded trade negotiations in 2011. The EU-Colombia/Peru Trade Agreement  was signed on June 2012.

The negotiations for Ecuador's accession to the trade agreement with Colombia and Peru were concluded in July 2014. The Protocol of Accession for Ecuador was signed in November 2016 and has been provisionally applied since 1 January 2017.

Benefits of the trade agreement include:

• opening markets for goods, services, government procurement and investment;
• better conditions for trade through new rules on non-tariff barriers, competition, transparency and intellectual property rights;
• a more stable and predictable environment for businesses with a bilateral dispute settlement mechanism and a mediation system for non-tariff barriers;
• arrangements for cooperation on competitiveness, innovation, production modernisation, trade facilitation and technology transfer, and;
• a comprehensive Trade and Sustainable Development chapter with commitments aimed to ensure high levels of labour and environmental protection, which includes a transparent arbitration system and procedures to engage with civil society.

Bolivia benefits from the preferential access that the EU grants under the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), including through the special incentive arrangement for sustainable development and good governance, known as GSP+.

Committees and Dialogues

The EU and Colombia, Ecuador and Peru meet regularly to discuss issues and best practices and oversee the proper functioning of the agreement.

• Meetings and documents

Trading with the Andean Community

• Importing into the EU from the Andean Community
  • EU trade defence measures on imports from the Andean Community
• Exporting from the EU to the Andean Community
  • Trade defence measures in force in the Andean Community
• Trade relations are part of the EU's overall political and economic relations with Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru
• Andean Community (European External Action Service)
• EU-Andean Community trade agreements: Reports and consultations