EC/Chile relations: current state of relations

In adopting the report by Mrs Ana MIRANDA DE LAGE (PSE, E), the European Parliament welcomed the Commission communication and endorsed the strategy designed to achieve the final objective of political and economic association between the European Union and Chile through the negotiation of a new agreement including: - stepping up of political dialogue; - strengthening of cooperation on trade and the rules governing trade, so as to pave the way for progressive and reciprocal liberalization of trade in goods and services, taking account of the sensitivity of certain products and in conformity with WTO rules; - promotion of reciprocal investments; - closer cooperation in the fields covered by the current agreement and the extension of cooperation to new sectors. The new agreement should establish an institutional framework for a political dialogue in parallel with the strengthening of the economic and trade dialogue and of the mechanisms for the settlement of disputes. The new agreement with Chile should be accompanied by a substantial increase in financial aid to the country with the aim of promoting industrial and technological cooperation in sectors such as the environment, telecommunications and information technology, and enhancing the role of NGOs in supporting civil society. At the same time, Parliament supported the Union's participation in Chile-MERCOSUR and Chile-Andean Pact regional projects in such fields as infrastructure, agriculture and the environment. With this in view, it considered that a multiannual programme should be drawn up, bringing together aid from the Community budget and loans from the European Investment Bank. Parliament also considered that Chile should take part in a number of specific R&D programmes under conditions already agreed with the countries of Central and Eastern Europe. �