EU, Central American countries agree to expand co-op, interaction

The European Union is Central America's third largest trading partner, with annual trade between the regions growing from €8.7 billion in 2012 to €22 billion in 2023, reads a joint communiqué following the first meeting of the EU-Central America Association Council under the Association Agreement signed between the parties in May last year, Report informs.

The meeting was held on July 14 in Brussels with the participation of official representatives (ministers and their deputies) of six countries - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama. On the EU side, the meeting was led by the head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas, and Danish Foreign Minister Lars Rasmussen.

The EU is a key export market for Central American agricultural products, accounting for up to 90% of the value of their exports for some countries. Agricultural trade flows have proven to be very resilient to external shocks. The parties agreed to further strengthen and develop trade and investment relations, the document says.