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¿What is the Pacific Alliance?
The Pacific Alliance (PA) is the most dynamic and innovative integration initiative in Latin America. It is made up of Chile, Colombia, Peru and Mexico. It was created on April 28, 2011 following the signing of the Lima Declaration.
The Pacific Alliance has three main objectives:
- To build an area of deep integration through the free circulation of goods, services, capital, people and economy.
- Promote economic growth and development among its members.
- To become a platform with an emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region.
¿Why the most dynamic?
The members of the Alliance are the most competitive economies in the region, their combined economy represents 40% of the GDP of Latin America and the Caribbean. Globally, it is positioned as the 8th largest economy in the world.
The similarity in the economic policies of the members provides a common outlook that facilitates decision-making. This is in contrast to other organizations in the region, such as MERCOSUR, where the membership of countries with different economic convictions makes it difficult to reach resolutions.
¿Why the most Innovative?
As you may notice, the four members of the Alliance have another feature in common: a coastline on the Pacific Ocean. This means that they will have access to Asia-Pacific, another fast-growing region where countries such as China, Japan, Korea, etc. are located. Additionally, it has access to Southeast Asia, to countries such as India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia and New Zealand.
In order to achieve the stated objectives, there is the participation of public and private initiatives. Private initiatives include the Pacific Alliance Business Council's Internship Exchange. Public initiatives include volunteer work and scholarships for academic exchanges.
Opportunities for your Company
For Digital Platforms
The PA has a digital agenda that seeks to identify the opportunities and barriers associated with e-commerce. These issues were addressed in the Declarations of Cali (2017) and Puerto Vallarta (2018).
In parallel, they will be able to benefit from access to the market of the party countries, being exempt from double taxation by means of the Convention for the Standardization of Tax Treatment under Double Taxation Conventions.
Additional PA Protocol
Those companies established in the Pacific Alliance will have:
- Equal treatment as nationals in any of the PA member states.
- All nationals of PA States Parties may have access to cross-border services located in a State Party.
- States Parties shall permit the operation of financial services from another State Party in accordance with their national laws.
- Digital platforms shall not be required to pay any customs duties, taxes or import or export charges.
- The paperwork for the operation may be done electronically.
- Note: at the time of drafting the Additional Protocol, it was agreed that the use of the information would be negotiated in the future.
Pacific Alliance Business Council
The Pacific Alliance Business Council (CEAP) was created as a mechanism that seeks to make the vision and needs of the business sector known, as well as to reduce politicization in PA decision making.
This is made up of some of the most important businessmen in the economies of the member countries. Each country leads different topics to fulfill the objectives of the PA. Below you will find information on the topics led by each country, as well as the members that represent them in the CEAP.
Peru: Logistics - Circular Economy
- Juan fernando Correa – COMEXPERU
- Erik Fischer – ADEX
- Yolanda Torriani – CCL
- Ricardo Márquez – SNI
- María Isabel León – CONFIEP
Mexico: Regulatory Harmonization - Digital Agenda
- Valentin Diez Morodo – COMCE
- Carlos Slim Domit - Carso Group
- Francisco del Valle – Elementia
- Carlos Salazar – CCE
- Fausto Costa – Nestlé
Chile: Financial Integration - Investment
- Bernardo Larraín – SOFOFA
- Alfonso Swett – CPC
- Juan Eduardo Errázuriz – SK
- Francisca Junemann - Chile Women's Association
- Paola Cúneo - Liguria Investments and Rentals Ltda.
Colombia: Labor Mobility - Education - Water Footprint
- Carlos Ignacio Gallego - Nutresa Group
- César Caicedo – Colombina
- Carlos Julio Ardila - Ardila Lulle Organization.
- Gonzalo Alberto Pérez - Sura Group
- Bruce Mac Master – ANDI
Colombia leads in labor mobility and education, which is why it executes the Student Internships of the Pacific Alliance Business Council that was created on June 29, 2017 following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Colombian Ministry of Education.
This is a task that was given to the International Directorate of the National Association of Colombian Businessmen (ANDI).
The CEAP Internship Program is a free initiative with the aim of:
- Support education and job skills for the region's youth.
- Promote regional employability by connecting young people with companies in search of regional talent.
- Stimulate labor mobility and cultural exchange among PA member countries.
Through this program, companies have access to the regional talent of students from more than 41 universities!
If your company is located in Mexico, Chile, Peru or Colombia and is interested in diversifying its human capital and internationalizing with the support of an international intern, register here to receive information about the program.
For their part, students have the opportunity to carry out their professional internships in more than 174 companies.
If you are an active undergraduate student at one of the partner universities, you can register here to receive more information.You can also consult more information on ANDI's web page.
Public Opportunities for Education and Culture
Among the public opportunities there are volunteer and scholarship programs for students with nationality from member countries to learn more about the other members.
Volunteers
Program executed by the Technical Cooperation Group of the Pacific Alliance. It is aimed at young people between 18 and 30 years of age, nationals of the member countries and who have residence in their country of origin at the time of application. They have a minimum duration of two weeks and a maximum of four weeks.
Learn more about this initiative here
Pacific Alliance Scholarships
The financial support provided for scholarship recipients depends on the school level or task to be performed. The monthly support ranges from:
- Chile: 400.000 - 500.000 chilean pesos
- Colombia: 1,950,000 - 2,447,000 Colombian pesos.
- Mexico: 4 - 5 times the value of the Measurement and Updating Unit (UMA) in Mexican pesos.
- Perú: USD$650 – USD$920.
The scholarships offer the opportunity to carry out student and academic exchanges in the following modalities
- Undergraduates of Institutes of Higher Education in the modality of technical and technological careers.
- Undergraduate studies in Higher Education Institutions in professional mode.
- Doctorates.
- Professors, university students and guests.
- Researchers.
In order to apply for this scholarship, you must have a minimum grade point average of:
- Chile: 5
- Colombia: 4
- México: 8
- Peru: Upper third
You can learn more about these opportunities here.
Sources:
Plataforma de Movilidad Estudiantil y Académica de la Alianza del Pacífico: convocatoria 2020
ANDI: Dirección Internacional y de Aprovechamiento de Acuerdos Comerciales
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