The European Union (EU) and the six Central American countries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama met in Brussels on 14 July 2025 for an historical first EU-Central America Association Council in the framework of the Association Agreement between Central America and the European Union that entered into force on 1 May 2024.

This first Ministerial meeting, chaired on the European side by High Representative/Vice President of the Commission Kaja Kallas and by H.E. Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, which is holding the rotating Presidency of the EU Council, with the participation of H.E. Arnoldo André Tinoco, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Worship of Costa Rica, H.E. Alexandra Hill Tinoco, Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador, H.E. Carlos Ramiro Martínez Alvarado, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala, H.E. Gerardo Torres Zelaya, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Honduras, Erwin Ramírez Colindres, Vice-Minister of Development, Industry and Trade of Nicaragua, H.E. Javier Eduardo Martínez-Acha Vásquez, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Panama, marked an important milestone in strengthening the bi-regional relationship.

The meeting presented an opportunity to exchange views on global challenges that affect both regions, including the rapidly changing geopolitical landscape and on-going wars, conflicts and crises, as well as the state of our regional cooperation, investment and trade agendas. The meeting also served to agree on how to shape the way forward of this bi-regional dialogue.

In order to ensure that the bi-regional partnership remains anchored to the shared values and interests it is founded upon, and to the strong economic, social and cultural ties between the two regions, the parties agreed on the importance of enhanced dialogue to better face the multiple challenges. The parties confirmed the importance of Central American integration, based on the values of peace, democracy and inclusive economic development.

While being transparent on the different circumstances of the two regions as well on the existence of different positions on specific issues, the parties also underscored the importance of upholding the principles and objectives of the UN Charter, commitment to multilateralism and international cooperation, the rules-based international order, including sovereignty and territorial integrity, the rule of law as well as the protection and respect of all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

They also agreed to seek common ground in dealing with geo-political challenges and to join forces to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change and of environmental degradation, to protect oceans and support ocean governance, and intensify cooperation in areas such as security, the fight against organised crime and trafficking in drugs, firearms and illicit environmental commodities, trafficking in human beings, and migration. 

The 2030 Agenda should remain the reference of cooperation efforts, seeking an effective implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a special focus on social and economic inclusion, climate change and biodiversity loss, food and energy security, organised crime, migration, health and digitalisation.

The parties valued the contribution of the Global Gateway Investment Agenda, which aims at addressing investment gaps in line with the shared priorities of the EU and of Central America. This Agenda seeks to mobilise private capital and public funding to bridge investment gaps in strategic areas that are essential to contribute to progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in areas such as education and capacity building, health infrastructures, energy production, environment protection, digital transformation, and local value chains. Investment and innovative modalities for cooperation fostering closer integration in clean energy, supply chains, and secure digital connectivity were considered key in this context. In this respect, the parties stressed the importance of the further development of the Central American Regional Electricity Market as a tool for growth and a driver of regional integration, including by connecting and complementing the existing energy cooperation frameworks.

In the area of trade, the parties noted with satisfaction that after twelve years of application of the trade pillar of the Agreement, the trade volume had increased considerably between the two regions. The EU is Central America’s third largest trading partner and the annual volume of trade between the two regions grew from €8.7 billion in 2012 to €22 billion in 2023, with a remarkable transition to highly innovative products in the region’s exportable offer. The EU is a key export market for agricultural goods for Central America corresponding to up to 90% in value of their exports for some countries. Agri-food trade flows have also proved to be very resilient to external shocks. The parties agreed to further strengthen and develop trade and investment relations in order to fully exploit the potential offered by the Association Agreement.

Recognising the common strategic interest of regular engagement between the EU and Central America, the parties agreed to convene Association Committees and Cooperation Subcommittees feeding into the next Association Council, which shall take place in the Central American region in 2027. The importance of people-to-people contacts, involving business and civil society at large to accompany the implementation of the Association Agreements was also underlined.

Brussels, 14 July 2025