El Salvador’s capital hosted the third round of bilateral negotiations between the European Union and six Central American countries, vying for the creation of an ‘Association Accord’ connecting both regional blocs through trade.

The ‘Association Accord’ is intended to cover three basic themes, bilateral cooperation, political association, and commercial ties. Central to the accord is the implementation of a free trade agreement between the blocs. The European commission External Relations office has stated, “The Association Agreement is envisioned as a comprehensive Agreement, embracing the whole array of the multifaceted relations of the EU with Central America. Its objective is to enhance the political dialogue between both regions, to intensify and improve cooperation in a vast variety of areas and to enhance and facilitate bi-regional trade and investments. The European Commission will negotiate the Agreement on behalf of the EU on the basis of the above-mentioned negotiation directives.”

The third round of negotiations is focusing on the language and text of draft agreements and the failure of three Central American countries (Nicaragua, El Salvador and Guatemala) of signing the Rome Statute, which instituted the International Criminal Court.

This failure to recognize the international judiciary has become a point of contention.

The non-signatory countries’ position is currently being supported by the rest of the Central American nations; it states that national constitutional impediments in Nicaragua, Guatemala and El Salvador make it legally unworkable for them to ratify the Rome Statute. Central American negotiators have expressed hope that this issue can be resolved without slowing down the process, but the European Union has been clearly insistent on the importance of recognizing the International Criminal Court.

The European Union has also insisted Central American countries improve their sanitation and health policies; they have also asked for an acceleration of the Central American integration process.

The fourth round of negotiations will be held in Brussels, Belgium in July.

The EU is expanding its commercial and political ties in Latin America, currently negoti­ating free trade deals with all of Latin America’s political, economic and trade blocs: Mercosur, the Caribbean Community, the Central America Common Market, and the Andean Community. The EU is looking to promote Latin America