ABSTRACT
The early beginnings of the Andean Community date back to 1969, when a group of South American countries signed the Cartagena Agreement, also known as the Andean Pact, for the purpose of establishing a customs union within a period of ten years. The progress of integration and the emergence of new challenges stemming from global economic change brought to the fore the need for both institutional and policy reforms in the Cartagena Agreement. The institutional reforms gave the process political direction and created the Andean Community and the Andean Integration System. The key objectives of the Andean Community are: to promote the balanced and harmonious development of the member countries under equitable conditions, to boost their growth through integration and economic and social cooperation, to enhance participation in the regional integration process with a view to the progressive formation of a Latin American common market, and to strive for steady improvement in the standard of living of their inhabitants.
