Brussels, 17/11/2008 (Agence Europe) - “The European Commission's mandate is not to break up the Andean Community of Nations (Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) or to impose a single system of trade negotiations,” explained German GUE/NGL chair of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee, Helmuth Markov on 14 November 2008 in a press release opposing the suggestion by EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner of negotiating separate trade agreements with Colombia and Peru “excluding the other countries and therefore provoking a de facto breaking up of the Andean Community of Nations.” The European Commission has lost all hope of negotiating en bloc because of the internal divisions racking the Andean Community and is therefore considering separate negotiating bilateral trade agreements with each country, as mooted by Colombia and Peru. “For decades, the EU has been negotiating with blocs of countries and not with countries individually, in order to encourage regional integration processes. Parliament has unanimously come out in favour of respect of this principle. It would be regrettable that this Commission left as its legacy the fact that it abandoned this principle and that it broke up the Andean Community of Nations... It would also be incomprehensible that the EU negotiated as a priority with countries such as Colombia, where human rights violations are widespread and constant…” Markov added: “The Bolivian government, like the other governments, has demonstrated its interest to negotiate an association agreement with the EU, with its three chapters. The trade chapter is the only one that presents certain difficulties, which is comprehensible as it concerns a region where the establishment of free trade zones with the United States or the EU is rejected by important segments of the population, which have already been impoverished by the application of neoliberal policies for many decades.” Markov said it would be desirable for EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton to “propose - and discuss with the European Parliament - a new formal for trade negotiations adapted to the reality of these different countries… Access by European companies to the markets and natural resources of the region cannot come at the price of breaking up the Andean Community of Nations and bringing about social unrest. The EU has the obligation to show sufficient flexibility to negotiate trade agreements which take into account the voices of the poorest sectors and which make it possible to strengthen regional unity.” (E.H./transl.fl)