Germany/Ecuador
Since Alexander von Humboldt explored Ecuador’s rich natural environment 200 years ago, there have been close ties between Germany and the Latin American state. Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke to Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa at the Federal Chancellery about ways of stepping up cooperation between the two countries.
2 min reading time
Military honours - Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ecuador's President Rafael Correa
Photo: Bundesregierung/Denzel
After their talks the Chancellor reported on the issues that are currently of particular political importance: a free trade agreement, an investment protection agreement and vocational training.
Angela Merkel and Rafael Correa discussed the situation in Latin America as a whole. Bilateral relations and also the relations with Latin America are "eminently interesting". "Germany would like to be an increasingly good partner," said the Chancellor.
EU free trade agreement with Ecuador
Ecuador is interested in joining the existing free trade agreement between the European Union and Colombia and Peru. Germany, said Angela Merkel, could help support the positive development of relations between the EU and Ecuador. "I have said that we will once again be speaking with the European Commission in order to generate an impetus to bring these negotiations to a successful conclusion," she said.
A stable legal framework for economic agreement
The talks also touched on the legal conditions for improved economic cooperation, and thus the conclusion of a German-Ecuadorian investment protection agreement. "We need a stable legal framework," said the Chancellor. More talks are to be held between Germany and Ecuador on this point.
The German economy is also interested in expanding infrastructure, including airports and roads, said Angela Merkel. She made special mention of cooperation in the field of vocational training, and gave the example of the vocational school in Quito, which is attached to the city’s German school.
Successful development cooperation
One focus of bilateral relations is development cooperation. On the basis of international agreements, the two sides have been cooperating closely for some 50 years. In the face of global climate change, it is particularly important to conserve tropical rainforests. Germany is one of Ecuador’s largest bilateral donors in the field of development cooperation.
In October 2012 government negotiations took place in Quito to decide on cooperation over the next three years. For the priority areas of environmental protection and conservation of natural resources and state decentralisation and modernisation, a total of 60.9 million euros was pledged, i.e. 20.3 million euros a year. Total assistance already stands at some 600 million euros.