(f) establishing mechanisms for promoting investment between the EU Party and the Republics of the CA Party, and enhancing the capacities of investment promotion agencies in the Republics of the CA Party.
Article 57. Cooperation and Technical Assistance on Technical Barriers to Trade
The Parties recognise the importance of technical cooperation assistance in the field of technical barriers to trade and agree to cooperate among others, in the following areas:
(a) providing expertise, capacity building, including the development and strengthening of relevant infrastructure, training and technical assistance in the areas of technical regulations, standardisation, conformity assessment, accreditation and metrology. This may include activities to facilitate the comprehension and compliance with European Union requirements, in particular by small and medium sized enterprises;
(b) support the harmonisation of technical barriers to trade legislation and procedures within Central America and facilitate the movement of goods within the region;
(c) promoting the active participation of the Republics of the CA Party's representatives in the work of relevant international organisations with a view to increasing the use of international standards;
(d) exchanging information, experiences and good practices to facilitate the implementation of Chapter 4 (Technical Barriers to Trade) of Title II of Part IV of this Agreement. This can involve programmes for trade facilitation in the areas of joint interest, covered by Chapter 4.
Article 58. Cooperation and Technical Assistance on Government Procurement
The Parties recognise the importance of cooperation and technical assistance in the field of government procurement and agree to cooperate as follows:
(a) upon agreement of the Parties concerned, enhance institutional cooperation and facilitate the exchange of information on the legal frameworks concerning government procurement with a possible launch of a dialogue mechanism;
(b) upon request of a Party, provide capacity building and training, including training for the private sector on innovative means of competitive government procurement;
(c) supporting public outreach activities in the Republics of the CA Party related to the provisions of Title V (Government Procurement) of Part IV of this Agreement, to public sector, private sector and civil society, in relation to European Union Procurement Systems and the opportunities that Central American suppliers might have in the European Union;
(d) supporting the development, establishment and functioning of a single point of access to information related to government procurement for the entire Central American region. This single point of access shall function as defined in Articles 212 paragraph 1(d), 213, 215 paragraph 4, and 223 paragraph 2 of Title V (Government Procurement) of Part IV of this Agreement;
(e) improvement of technological capabilities for public entities either in the Central, Sub-central or other procuring entities.
Article 59. Cooperation and Technical Assistance on Fisheries and Aquaculture
1. The Parties recognise the importance of economic, technical and scientific cooperation for the sustainable development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector. The objectives of such cooperation should in particular aim to:
(a) promote the sustainable exploitation and management of fisheries;
(b) promote best practices in fisheries management;
(c) improve the data collection in order to take into account the best available scientific information for resource assessment and management;
(d) strengthen the monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) system;
(e) fight illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing activities (IUU).
2. The cooperation may involve, among others:
(a) providing technical expertise, support and capacity building for sustainable management of the fisheries' resources, including the development of alternative fisheries;
(b) exchanging information, experiences and capacity building for sustainable social and economic development of the fisheries and aquaculture sector. Particular attention shall be given to the responsible development of artisanal and small scale fisheries and aquaculture and to the diversification of their products and activities, including areas such as the processing industry;
(c) supporting institutional cooperation and facilitating the exchange of information on the legal frameworks concerning fisheries and aquaculture, including any relevant international instruments;
(d) reinforcing cooperation within international organisations and with national and regional fisheries management organisations providing technical assistance, such as workshops and studies, to ensure a better understanding of the added value of international legal instruments in achieving a proper management of marine resources.
Article 60. Cooperation and Technical Assistance on Artisanal Goods
The Parties recognise the importance of cooperation programmes that promote actions that help artisanal goods manufactured in the Republics of the CA Party to benefit from this Agreement. More specifically, cooperation could focus in the following areas:
(a) developing capacities to facilitate market access opportunities for Central American artisanal goods;
(b) capacity building of the Central American entities responsible for export promotion, in particular supporting micro, small and medium size enterprises (hereinafter referred to as "MSMEs") from urban and rural sectors, necessary to manufacture and export artisanal goods, including on customs procedures and technical requirements established in the European Union market;
(c) promotion of the preservation of these cultural products;
(d) supporting the development of infrastructure needed to support MSMEs engaged in the manufacture of artisanal goods;
(e) capacity building to improve the business performance of artisanal goods producers, through training programmes.
Article 61. Cooperation and Technical Assistance on Organic Goods
The Parties recognise the importance of cooperation programs in enhancing the benefits that organic goods produced in the Republics of the CA Party could obtain from this Agreement. More specifically, cooperation may focus, among others, in the following areas:
(a) developing capacities to facilitate market access opportunities for Central American organic goods;
(b) capacity building of the Central American entities responsible for export promotion, in particular supporting MSMEs from urban and rural sectors, necessary for the production and export of organic goods, including on customs procedures, technical regulations and quality standards required in the European Union market;
(c) supporting the development of infrastructure needed to support MSMEs engaged in the production of organic goods;
(d) capacity building to improve the business performance of organic goods producers, through training programs;
(e) cooperation on developing distribution networks in the European Union market.
Article 62. Cooperation and Technical Assistance on Food Safety, Sanitary and Phytosanitary Matters and Animal Welfare Issues
1. Cooperation in this field shall be geared with the aim of strengthening the Parties capacities on sanitary and phytosanitary and animal welfare matters, in order to improve access to the other Party's market whilst safeguarding the level of protection of humans, animals and plants as well as animal welfare.
2. It may involve, among others:
(a) supporting the harmonisation of sanitary and phytosanitary legislation and procedures within Central America and facilitate the movement of goods within the region;
(b) providing expertise on legislative and technical capacity to develop and enforce legislation as well as to develop sanitary and phytosanitary control systems (including eradication programmes, food safety systems and alerts notification), and on animal welfare;
(c) supporting the development and strengthening of institutional and administrative capacities in Central America, both at regional and national level, in order to improve its sanitary and phytosanitary status;
(d) developing capacities in each of the Republics of the CA Party to meet sanitary and phytosanitary requirements in order to improve access to the other Party's market while safeguarding the level of protection;
(e) providing advice and technical assistance on the European Union sanitary and phytosanitary regulatory system and the implementation of the standards required by the European Union market.
3. The Sub-Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Matters, as established in Chapter 5 (Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures) of Title II (Trade in Goods), Part IV of this Agreement, shall propose the needs for cooperation in order to set up a working programme.
4. The Association Committee shall monitor the progress of the cooperation established under this Article and submit the results of this exercise to the Sub-Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Matters.
Article 63. Cooperation and Technical Assistance on Trade and Sustainable Development
1. The Parties recognise the importance of cooperation and technical assistance in the fields of trade and labour, and trade and environment for achieving the objectives of Title VIII (Trade and Sustainable Development) of Part IV of this Agreement.
2. To complement the activities set out in Title III (Social Development and Social Cohesion) and V (Environment, Natural Disasters and Climate Change) of Part III of this Agreement, the Parties agree to cooperate, including by supporting technical assistance, training and capacity building actions in, inter alia, the following areas:
(a) supporting the development of incentives to foster environmental protection and decent work conditions, especially through the promotion of legal and sustainable trade, for instance through fair and ethical trade schemes, including those involving corporate social responsibility and accountability, as well as related labelling and marketing initiatives;
(b) promoting trade related cooperation mechanisms as agreed by the Parties to help implement the current and future international climate change regime;
(c) promoting trade in products derived from sustainably managed natural resources, including through effective measures regarding wildlife, fisheries and certification of legally and sustainably produced timber. Particular attention shall be paid to voluntary and flexible mechanisms and marketing initiatives aimed to promote environmentally sustainable productive systems;
(d) strengthening institutional frameworks, development and implementation of policies and programs regarding the implementation and enforcement of multilateral environmental agreements and environmental laws, as agreed by the Parties, and developing measures to combat illegal trade with environmental relevance, including through enforcement activities and customs cooperation;
(e) strengthening institutional frameworks, development and implementation of policies and programs regarding Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (freedom of association and collective bargaining, forced labour, child labour, no employment discrimination) and the implementation and enforcement of International Labour Organization (hereinafter referred to as "ILO") conventions and labour laws, as agreed by the Parties;
(f) facilitating exchange of views on the development of methodologies and indicators for sustainability review and supporting initiatives to jointly review, monitor and assess the contribution to sustainable development of Part IV of this Agreement;
(g) strengthening the institutional capacity on trade and sustainable development issues and supporting the organisation and facilitation of the agreed frameworks for dialogue with civil society on such matters.
Article 64. Industrial Cooperation
1. The Parties agree that industrial cooperation shall promote the modernisation and restructuring of Central American industry and individual sectors, as well as industrial cooperation between economic operators, with the objective of strengthening the private sector under conditions which promote environmental protection.
2. Industrial cooperation initiatives shall reflect the priorities determined by the Parties. They shall take into account the regional aspects of industrial development, promoting trans-national partnerships where relevant. Initiatives shall seek in particular to establish a suitable framework for improving management know-how and promoting transparency as regards markets and conditions for business undertakings.
Article 65. Energy (including Renewable Energy)
1. The Parties agree that their joint objective shall be to foster cooperation in the field of energy, in particular sustainable clean and renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, energy saving technology, rural electrification and regional integration of energy markets, among others as identified by the Parties, and in compliance with domestic legislation.
2. Cooperation may include, among others, the following:
(a) formulation and planning of energy policy, including inter-connected infrastructures of regional importance, improvement and diversification of energy supply and improvement of energy markets, including facilitation of transit, transmission and distribution within the Republics of the CA Party;
(b) management and training for the energy sector and transfer of technology and know-how, including ongoing work on standards relating to energy generating emissions and energy efficiency;
(c) promotion of energy saving, energy efficiency, renewable energy and studying of the environmental impact of energy production and consumption, in particular, its effects on biodiversity, forestry and land use change;
(d) promotion of the application of clean development mechanisms to support the climate change initiatives and its variability.
Article 66. Cooperation on Mining
The Parties agree to cooperate in the field of mining taking into account their respective legislations and internal procedures as well as aspects of sustainable development and including environmental protection and conservation, through initiatives such as promoting exchange of information, experts, experience, development and transfer of technology.
Article 67. Fair and Sustainable Tourism
1. The Parties recognise the importance of the tourism sector for reducing poverty through social and economic development of local communities and the great economic potential of both regions for developing businesses in this field.
2. For this purpose they agree to promote fair and sustainable tourism, in particular to support:
(a) the development of policies to optimise the socio-economic benefits of tourism;
(b) the creation and consolidation of tourism products through the provision of non-financial services, training and technical assistance and services;
(c) the integration of environmental, cultural and social considerations into the development of the tourism sector, including both protection and promotion of cultural patrimony and natural resources;
(d) the involvement of local communities in the process of tourism development, in particular rural and community tourism and ecotourism;
(e) marketing and promotion strategies, the development of institutional capacity and human resources, the promotion of international standards;
(f) the promotion of public-private cooperation and association;
(g) the development of managing plans for national and regional tourism development;
(h) the promotion of information technology in the area of tourism.
Article 68. Transport Cooperation
1. The Parties agree that cooperation in this field shall focus on restructuring and modernising transport and related infrastructure systems, including border crossings, on facilitating and improving the movement of passengers and goods, and on providing better access to urban, air, maritime, inland waterways, rail and road transport markets by refining the management of transport from the operational and administrative points of view and by promoting high operating standards.
2. Cooperation may include the following:
(a) exchanges of information on the Parties' policies, especially regarding urban transport and the interconnection and interoperability of multimodal transport networks and other issues of mutual interest;
(b) the management of inland waterways, roads, railways, ports and airports, including appropriate cooperation between the relevant authorities;
(c) projects for the transfer of European technology in the Global Navigation Satellite System and urban public transport centres;
(d) improvement of safety and pollution prevention standards, including cooperation in the appropriate international forums aiming to ensure better enforcement of international standards; (e) activities that promote the development of aeronautical and maritime transport.
Article 69. Good Governance In the Tax Area
In accordance with their respective competences, the Parties will improve international cooperation in the tax area to facilitate the collection of legitimate tax revenues and develop measures for the effective implementation of common and internationally agreed principles of good governance in the tax area as mentioned in Article 22, Part II of this Agreement.
Article 70. Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
The Parties agree to promote the competitiveness and insertion of rural and urban MSMEs and their representative organisations, in the international markets, acknowledging their contribution to social cohesion through poverty reduction and job creation, through the provision of non-financial services, training and technical assistance, by executing the following cooperation actions, among others:
(a) technical assistance and other business development services (BDS);
(b) strengthening of the local and regional institutional frameworks, to create and operate MSMEs;
(c) support MSMEs so that they may participate in the goods and services markets at local and international levels, by means of participation in fairs, commercial missions and other mechanisms of promotion;
(d) promotion of productive linkages processes;
(e) promotion of the exchange of experiences and best practices;
(f) encouragement of joint investments, partnerships and business networks;
(g) identification and reduction of obstacles for the MSMEs to access financial sources and the creation of new financing mechanisms;
(h) promotion of transfer of both technology and knowledge;
(i) support to innovation, as well as research and development;
(j) support to the use of quality management systems.
Article 71. Cooperation on Microcredit and Microfinance
The Parties agree that, in order to reduce income inequality, micro funding, included microcredit programs, generate autonomous employment and prove to be an effective instrument to help overcome poverty and to reduce vulnerability in economic crises, giving broader participation in the economy. Cooperation shall address the following issues:
(a) exchange of experiences and expertise in the area of ethical banking, associative and self-managed community-centred banking and the strengthening of sustainable programs of micro financing, including certification, monitoring and validation programmes;
(b) access to microcredit by facilitating access to financial services provided by banks and financial institutions through incentives and risk management programmes;
(c) exchange of experiences in policies and alternative legislation promoting the creation of popular and ethical banking.
Title VII. Regional Integration
Article 72. Cooperation In the Field of Regional Integration
1. The Parties agree that cooperation in this field shall reinforce the process of regional integration within Central America, in all its aspects, in particular the development and implementation of its common market, with the aim of progressively achieving an Economic Union.
2. Cooperation shall support activities linked to the integration process of Central America, in particular the development and strengthening of common institutions with a view to making them more efficient, auditable and transparent, and of their inter-institutional relations.
3. Cooperation shall reinforce the involvement of civil society in the integration process within the conditions defined by the Parties and include support to consultation mechanisms and awareness campaigns.
4. Cooperation shall promote the development of common policies and the harmonisation of the legal frameworks to the extent that they are covered by the Central American integration instruments, including economic policies such as trade, customs, agriculture, energy, transport, communications, competition, as well as the coordination of macroeconomic policies in areas such as monetary policy, fiscal policy and public finance. Cooperation may further promote the coordination of sectoral policies in areas such as consumer protection, environment, social cohesion, security, prevention and response to natural risks and disasters. A particular attention shall be given to the gender dimension.
5. Cooperation may promote investment in common infrastructure and networks in particular at the borders of the Republics of the CA Party.
Article 73. Regional Cooperation
The Parties agree to use all existing cooperation instruments to promote activities aimed at developing active cooperation between the EU Party and the Republics of the CA Party, without undermining cooperation between them, between the Republics of the CA Party and other countries and/or regions in Latin America and the Caribbean in all cooperation areas subject to this Agreement. Regional and bilateral cooperation activities shall seek to be complementary.
Title VIII. Culture and Audio-visual Cooperation
Article 74. Culture and Audio-visual Cooperation
1. The Parties shall undertake to promote cultural cooperation in order to enhance mutual understanding and foster balanced cultural exchanges, as well as the circulation of cultural activities, goods and services and of artists and cultural professionals, including other civil society organizations from the EU Party and the Republics of the CA Party in conformity with their respective legislation.
2. The Parties shall encourage intercultural dialogue between individuals, cultural institutions and organizations representing civil society from the EU Party and the Republics of the CA Party.
3. The Parties shall encourage coordination in the context of UNESCO, with a view to promoting cultural diversity, inter alia via consultations on the ratification and implementation of the UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions by the EU Party and the Republics of the CA Party. Cooperation shall also include promotion of cultural diversity, including that of the indigenous peoples and cultural practices of other specific groups, including the education in autochthon languages.
4. The Parties agree to promote cooperation in the audio-visual and media sectors, including radio and press, through joint initiatives in training as well as audio visual development, production and distribution activities, including the educational and cultural field.
5. Cooperation shall take place in accordance with the relevant national copyright provisions and applicable international agreements.
6. Cooperation in this field shall also include, among others, safeguard and promotion of natural and cultural heritage (tangible and intangible), including the prevention and action against illicit traffic of cultural heritage, according to the relevant international instruments.
7. A Protocol on Cultural Cooperation of relevance to this Title is annexed to this Agreement.
Section TITLE IX. Knowledge Society
Article 75. Information Society
1. The Parties agree that information and communication technologies are key sectors in a modern society and are of vital importance to economic and social development and the smooth transition to the information society. Cooperation in this field shall help to establish a sound regulatory and technological framework, foster the development of these technologies, and develop policies that will help to reduce the digital divide and to develop human capacities, provide equitable and inclusive access to information technologies, and maximize the use of these technologies to provide services. In this regard, cooperation shall also support the implementation of these policies and help to improve interoperability of electronic communication services.
2. Cooperation in this area shall aim to promote:
(a) dialogue and exchange of experiences on regulatory and policy issues related to the information society, including the use of information and communication technologies such as e-government, e-learning and e-health, and policies aimed at narrowing the digital divide;
(b) exchange of experiences and best practices regarding the development and implementation of e-government applications;
(c) dialogue and exchange of experiences on the development of e-commerce, and digital signature and teleworking;
(d) exchanges of information on standards, conformity assessment and type-approval;
(e) joint research and development projects on information and communication technologies;
(f) development of Academic Advanced Network usage, that is, seeking long term solutions to ensure the self-sustainability of REDClara.
Article 76. Scientific and Technological Cooperation
1. Cooperation in this field shall aim to develop scientific, technological, and innovation capacities covering all the activities under the research framework programmes (FPs). To this end, the Parties shall foster policy dialogue at regional level, exchange of information and the participation of their research and technological development bodies in the following scientific and technological cooperation activities, in compliance with their internal rules:
(a) joint initiatives to raise the awareness on the science and technology capacity building programmes, as well as on the European Research and Technological Development and Demonstration Programmes;
(b) initiatives to promote participation in FPs and in the other relevant programmes of the European Union;
(c) joint research actions in areas of common interest;
(d) joint scientific meetings to foster exchange of information and to identify areas for joint research;
(e) promotion of advanced science and technology studies which contribute to the long term sustainable development of the Parties;
(f) development of links between the public and private sectors; special emphasis shall be placed on transfer of scientific and technological results into national productive systems and social policies, and environmental aspects and the need to use cleaner technologies shall be taken into account;
(g) evaluation of scientific cooperation and dissemination of results;
(h) promotion, dissemination and transfer of technology;
(i) assistance to establish National Innovation Systems (NIS), to develop technology and innovation, in order to facilitate appropriate responses for demand driven by small and medium size business and to promote local production, among others; furthermore, assistance to develop excellence centres and high-tech clusters;
(j) promotion of training, research, development and applications of nuclear science and technology for medical applications enabling the transfer of technology to the Republics of the CA Party in areas such as health, particularly radiology and nuclear medicine for radiodiagnosis and radiotherapy treatment, and those areas that the Parties mutually agree to establish, in conformity with existing international conventions and regulations and submitting to the jurisdiction of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
2. Special emphasis shall be put on human potential building as a long-lasting basis of scientific and technological excellence, and on the creation of sustainable links between the scientific and technological communities of the Parties, at both national and regional levels. To this end, exchanges of researchers and best practices in research projects shall be promoted.