European authorities noted that as long as there are border controls, custom and tariffs, Central America's Integration process won't be complete.
For many years Central American countries have been trying to create an economic integrated block, but now the Association Agreement with Europe requires them to step on the gas and fully complete it.
Stefano Gatto, head of the EU mission in El Salvador, commented that the region is "obliged" to establish a unified tariff code (which should come into force three years after the agreement), remove non-tariff barriers to imports and other issues to facilitate commerce.
During the seventh round of negotiations, the European Union required opening the markets of professional, postal, courier and transport services.
The requirement of the opening the service sectors by the European Union was not accompanied by changes in its offer for the points of greatest interest to Central America such as bananas, sugar, rum, products with high sugar content and meat.
The Central American Tourism Ministers met in Panama and agreed to promote the region in Europe.
With the help of the Central American Regional Integration Support Program (PAIRCA), a market survey will be conducted in order to understand the impact of the Central America brand in Spain, Germany, England, Italy and France.
Soitu.es reflected the views of the Costa Rican Minister of Tourism, Carlos Ricardo Benavides, who said, "Europe was chosen because it was the most obvious long distance market for Central America. Facing the costs jointly to enter it represented an advantage;" and the Panamanian Minister, Rubén Blades, who added, "Europeans stay at their destination much longer than those from the north (America), spend more and are more receptive to the culture."
The European Union and the Central American nations today began their fourth round of negotiations aimed at reaching an agreement of association and free trade in 2009.
The EU and Central America have had an association agreement since 2003, but over the past year they have started talks aimed at deepening the relationship and setting up a free trade accord.
Central America hopes to achieve a new exchange of offers of access to the markets of the European Union in the second week of July.
The meeting will be held just before the third round of negotiations on a trade association between the two regions.
The Central American negotiating team will hold a coordination meeting in the first week of July, in preparation for its meeting in Brussels that starts on July 14.