South American Community of Nations

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Presidency
South American Community of Nations
Image:Banceras csn.jpg South American Community of Nations

Administrative centre	Brasília (Pro Tempore Secretariat)
Largest city	São Paulo
Member states	Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela
Official languages	Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch, English
Pro Tempore Secretary	Amb. Jorge D’Escragnolle Taunay Filho, Brazil
Statistics
Area	17,715,335 km²
Population	366,669,975
GDP (2006) - Total - Per capita	2,635,349 millions $7,789
Other information
Currencies	Argentine peso (ARS) Bolivian boliviano (BOB) Brazilian real (BRL or R$) Chilean peso (CLP) Colombian peso (COP or Col$) Guyanese dollar (GYD) Paraguayan guaraní (PYG) Peruvian nuevo sol (PEN) Suriname dollar (SRD) US Dollar (Ecuador) (USD or U$) Uruguayan peso (UYU) Venezuelan bolívar (VEB or Bs)
Official Website	http://casa.mre.gov.br

The South American Community of Nations (CSN) (Spanish: Comunidad Sudamericana de Naciones, Portuguese: Comunidade Sul-Americana de Nações, Dutch: Zuid-Amerikaanse Statengemeenschap) will be a continent-wide free trade zone that will unite two existing free-trade organizations—Mercosur and the Andean Community—eliminating tariffs for non-sensitive products by 2014 and sensitive products by 2019. The headquarters of this new organization will be in Lima while the South American Bank will be in Brasilia according to the agreements during the meetings. Complete integration between the Andean Community and Mercosur into the South American Community of Nations is expected by 2007.

1 Overview
2 Origins
3 Participating nations
4 Current works in progress
5 Comparison with other Regional blocs
6 Quotes
7 Name change proposal
8 See also
9 External links

[edit] Overview

At the Third South American Summit, on 8 December 2004, presidents or representatives from twelve South American nations signed the Cuzco Declaration, a two-page statement of intent, announcing the foundation of the South American Community. Panama attended the signing ceremony as an observer.

The leaders announced their intention to model the new community after the European Union, including a common currency, parliament, and passport. According to Allan Wagner, Secretary General of the Andean Community, a complete union like that of the EU should be possible by 2019.

The mechanics of the new entity should come out at the First South American Community of Nations Heads of State Summit, to be held in Brasilia, in September 29-30 2005. A constitution is also expected to be drafted in 2005. The Second Summit will be held in Bolivia. No new institutions will be created in the first phase, so as not to increase bureaucracy, and the community will use the existing institutions belonging to the previous trade blocs.

[edit] Origins

Simón Bolívar, directly responsible for the independence of Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Panamá in the early years of the 19th century, and honored with statues in the capital cities of practically every Spanish American nation had the goal of creating a federation of Spanish American nations to ensure prosperity and security after independence. Bolívar never achieved this goal, and died an unpopular figure because of his heavy-handed attempts to establish strong central governments in the nations he led to independence.

[edit] Participating nations

The 12 community members:

Members of the Andean Community (CAN)¹:
- Image:Flag of Bolivia.svg Bolivia (will start the process of joining Mercosur in 2006)
- Image:Flag of Colombia.svg Colombia
- Image:Flag of Ecuador.svg Ecuador
- Image:Flag of Peru.svg Peru

Members of Mercosur²:

Other countries:

¹ These countries are also considered to be associate members of Mercosur
² These countries are also considered to be associate members of the Andean Community.
³ Guyana and Suriname are currently members of CARICOM and entered its single market in 2006. It is unknown if simultaneous SACN and CARICOM membership would be possible to accomplish and most probably these states will remain SACN associate members only.

Observer states:
- Image:Flag of Panama (bordered).svg Panama
- Image:Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico (Mexico is not located in South America; it is already part of the NAFTA bloc)

The following South American areas not participating:

Trinidad and Tobago, which is a Caribbean island and member of the CARICOM
French Guiana, which is a département d'outre-mer of France and is therefore part of the European Union

Overseas Countries of the European Union
- Aruba, which is a country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
- Parts of the Netherlands Antilles, which is a country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
- South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, which is an British overseas territory of the United Kingdom
- The Falkland Islands, which is an British overseas territory of the United Kingdom; this is disputed by Argentina, which also claims the islands and refers to them as the Islas Malvinas.

[edit] Current works in progress

The South American Community of Nations started plans of integration with the construction of the Interoceanic highway, a road that intends to unite Peru with Brazil by extending a highway through Bolivia, giving that country a path to the sea, while Brazil would obtain access to the Pacific Ocean and Peru to the Atlantic Ocean. Construction started in September 2005, financed 60% by Brazil and 40% by Peru. It is estimated to be done by 2009.

On November 24 2006, the foreign ministers of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela reached an agreement to waive Visa requirements for tourism travel between nationals of said countries. [1]

[edit] Comparison with other Regional blocs

Dignitaries attend the signing of the Cuzco Declaration

Image:Chefes csa.jpg

**Most active regional blocs**
Regional bloc ¹	Area (km²)	Population	GDP (PPP) ($US)		Member states ¹
Regional bloc ¹	Area (km²)	Population	in millions	per capita	Member states ¹
EU^*	3,977,487	460,124,266	11,723,816	25,480	25
CARICOM	462,344	14,565,083	64,219	4,409	14+1 ³
ECOWAS	5,112,903	251,646,263	342,519	1,361	15
CEMAC	3,020,142	34,970,529	85,136	2,435	6
EAC	1,763,777	97,865,428	104,239	1,065	3
CSN	17,339,153	370,158,470	2,868,430	7,749	10
GCC	2,285,844	35,869,438	536,223	14,949	6
SACU	2,693,418	51,055,878	541,433	10,605	5
COMESA	3,779,427	118,950,321	141,962	1,193	5
NAFTA	21,588,638	430,495,039	12,889,900	29,942	3
ASEAN	4,400,000	553,900,000	2,172,000	4,044	10
SAARC	5,136,740	1,467,255,669	4,074,031	2,777	8
Agadir	1,703,910	126,066,286	513,674	4,075	4
EurAsEC	20,789,100	208,067,618	1,689,137	8,118	6
CACM	422,614	37,816,598	159,536	4,219	5
PARTA	528,151	7,810,905	23,074	2,954	12+2 ³
Reference blocs and countries ²	Area (km²)	Population	GDP (PPP) ($US)		Political divisions
Reference blocs and countries ²	Area (km²)	Population	in millions	per capita	Political divisions
UN	133,178,011	6,411,682,270	55,167,630	8,604	192
Canada	9,984,670	32,507,874	1,077,000	34,273	13
China (PRC) ⁴	9,596,960	1,306,847,624	8,182,000	6,300	33
India	3,287,590	1,102,600,000	3,433,000	3,100	35
Japan	377,835	127,333,002	3,910,728	30,615	47
Russia	17,075,200	143,782,338	1,589,000	8,900	89
USA	9,631,418	296,900,571	11,190,000	39,100	50
¹ Including data only for full and most active members ² The first two states in the World by area, population and GDP (PPP) ³ Including non-sovereign autonomous entities of other states ⁴ Data for the People's Republic of China does not include Hong Kong, Macau and regions administered by the Republic of China (Taiwan). ^* Although the European Union is not a federation in the strict sense, it is far more than a free-trade association or an ordinary regional bloc, and it has many of the attributes associated with independent nations: its own flag, anthem, central bank, currency, elected parliament, supreme court and common foreign and security policy. </center> ██ smallest value among the blocs compared ██ largest value among the blocs compared During 2004. Source: CIA World Factbook 2005, IMF WEO Database This box: view • talk • edit</div>

[edit] Quotes

We are here to make Simón Bolívar's dream real. [...] Sooner, rather than later, we shall have a single currency, a single passport... Sooner, rather than later, we shall have a parliament with directly elected representatives for this new nation that we are creating today. — Peruvian President Alejandro Toledo, 8 December 2004.

Step by step CAN and Mercosur will converge becoming the South American Community, but gradually disappearing at the same time. But in spite of the haste there’s no rush, because we could end with an empty declaration. [...] My idea is that in a few months time CAN should be known as South American Community-CAN and Mercosur, South American Community MS, so we have time to get in touch with the new initials. —Former Argentine president Eduardo Duhalde, president of the Mercosur Representatives Committee.

[edit] Name change proposal

On December 28, 2005, Chilean chancellor Ignacio Walker proposed that the name of the community be changed to South American Union (Spanish: Unión Sudamericana, Portuguese: União Sul-Americana); nevertheless, many members stated to him that that proposal had already been rejected to prevent confusion related to its acronym (U.S.A.).