13/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - Welcoming the recommendation of Jose Ignacio Salafranca (Spanish EPP), the European Parliament provided its assent to the Association Agreement between the European Community and the Republic of Chile. EUROPE recalls that this agreement is the most ambitious, the most innovative and the most extensive negotiated with a country not candidate for accession. It incarnates a genuine bi-regional association agreement between the Union and Latin America. This agreement provides for practically totally opening up the economies of the two parties, with, for farm produce, a gradual liberalisation of Chile's imports to the EU reaching 97% on 1 January 2012.