The president of the Republic of China (Taiwan), his Excellency Doctor Ma Ying-Jeou, meets with the president of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) Leonel Búcaro in the presidential palace of Taiwan. The visit to this nation was realized by President Búcaro who was accompanied by the members of board of parliament.

The Representatives Assembly plenum of Panama approved, during third debate, a bill for the instatement of Law Num.544, which will reincorporate the Republic of Panama to the Central American Parliament.

With an overwhelming majority of votes, the President of the Central American Parliament, Leonel Búcaro, has been elected as Co-President of EUROLAT, on behalf of the Latin American and Caribbean parliaments. The election took place on the occasion of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EUROLAT) in Santiago de Chile.

The Members of the Parliament expressed their congratulations to the President Búcaro for the position assumed in EUROLAT, where crucial issues concerning the relation between the European Union and Latin America have been discussed.

A delegation of the Central American Parliament participated in the working session of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EUROLAT) which took place in Cádiz, Spain, on November 8-10, 2012. Gloria Oquelí, Co-President of EUROLAT, Said Zavala, Nicaraguan secretary at the board of PARLACEN, representing the president of PARLACEN Leonel Búcaro, Sonia Segura, coordinator of the PARLACEN delegation in EUROLAT, as well as José Simpson, August Valle and Dr. Ricardo Lagos Andino, representative of PARLACEN in Europe, took part in the meeting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From left to right appear Augusto Valle, Sonia Segura, Coordinator of the PARLACEN delegation in EUROLAT, Said Zavala, Nicaraguan secretary at the board of PARLACEN, Gloria Oquelí, Co-President of EUROLAT, José Simpson and Ricardo Lagos Andino, representative of PARLACEN in Europe.

Leonel Búcaro elected as the new President of PARLACEN

The election process of the Board of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) took place on the 23th and the assumption of office is on the 26th of October 2012.

After the closure of the first Meeting of the Presidents and Secretaries of the Parliaments for Regional Integration in Latin America, the Central American Parliament proposed that from now on this interparliamentary forum be realized annually. This proposal was accepted by the Andean Parliament as well as Mercosur Parliament.

The members of parliament agreed upon promoting strategies for regional integration in acoordinated manner. Thereby and with assistance from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and other multilateral systems, a more effective use of the cooperation regarding development and a more active participation in geopolitics and geo-economics can be achieved.

Pichardo said that Latin America had known how to handle the crisis and is growing economically. Furthermore, it is beginning to solve the problem of inequalities. However, since these are partially caused by the Chinese growth this is an often-heard subject. Therefore, Pichardo called for this forum of parliaments to unite their efforts in order not to disperse.

“We declare to work together with the profound conviction that the unity of Latin America and the Caribbean  is the best path torethinking and promoting new paradigms and to facing the challenges which the current global economic and financial model imposes on us and which threatens the survival of humanity”, the final declaration states.

The three parliaments have agreed to collaborate in reinforcing the steps needed torender possible a follow-up on the cooperation between Central America, the Andean countries and South America, having as prioritized principles themaintenance of peace, prosperity, democracy and security.

They also made decisions concerning the support of legitimately elected governments, respectof human rights, the rule of law, international judiciary, the right to freeself-determination and dialogue as a road to the solution of differences.

Guatemala, September 19, 2012

 

Prompt Entry into Force of the Association Agreementwith Central America discussed

A wide delegation of Members of the European Parliament (MEP), chairedby MEP Emine Bozkurt, President of the Delegation for Relations with the Central American Countries, and accompanied by the EU-Ambassador in GuatemalaStella Zervoudaki, met the members of the Central American Parliament, headedby the MP Secretary Roberto Alejos Vásquez, representing the President of the PARLACEN, Manolo Pichardo. The parliamentarian Sonia Segura Varsoly, coordinator of the EUROLAT-delegation, welcomed the visitors, emphasizing the role of the regional parliaments in the international context and within EUROLAT. The Member of Parliament Roberto Alejos Vásquez greeted the MEPs on behalf of the board ofPARLACEN, underlining once again the close links between the Central American Parliament and the European Parliament, which played a fundamental role indemocratic development and regional peace. The president of the Delegation for Relations with Central American Countries, Emine Bozkurt, made a widepresentation of the cooperation perspectives in the region and the actions that will betaken in order to implement the Association Agreement with CentralAmerica. These actions will facilitate the final approval of the Agreement by the European Parliament and thus lead to economic and social benefits for bothparties, as it is the first agreement to be signed between two regions andfocusing not only on trade but also on topics such as human rights, democraticdevelopment, security and justice.

Recently, the European forum had adopted a new resolution about the reorientationof the European cooperation in Latin America, which contained a number ofemerging issues like climate change and support for disaster reduction.

The PARLACEN, via its member Alvaro Colom, former president of theRepublic of Guatemala, emphasized its deep satisfaction with the signing of thefinal Association Agreement, being the first instrument adopted between two regions, strengthening their integration.Colom added that the agreement assigned the PARLACEN the participation in the ParliamentarianCommission alongside the European Parliament and representatives from the nationalcongresses.

Furthermore, in accordance with the Protocol of Amendments to the constitutingtreaty, the PARLACEN has to give its illustrative pre-opinion concerning theAssociation Agreement. This is expected to be done in the next weeks.

Through the parliamentary committees the PARLACEN has close links with thecongresses and their Committees for Integration and International Relations.Their positive opinion is necessary for the ratification of the AssociationAgreement by the plenum.

A long question and answer session moderated by the member of PARLACENVíctor Ramírez Hernández followed. The questions from the participating MEPsinterested in the regional reality were answered by the Central American parliamentarians Álvaro ColomCaballeros, Rafael Espada,

Sonia Segura, Celita de León, Giovanni Jacobs, Edgar Dedet and Marvín Crespo, who informed about the scheduling of the ratification process of theAssociation Agreement and other aspects such as security and justice, whichhave been expanded in the press conference. The MEPs stressed that the actualcrisis is not a European, but global one, though it would not affect theEU-cooperation with Central America. Further, they reaffirmed their support forpluralism and democracy.

Héctor Ruano, Secretary for Parliamentary Affairs, and Max CabreraQuezada, Secretary of the Cabinet of the Board of PARLACEN, also assisted the question and answersession.

MEPs referred to the progress that has been made towards a federal scheme;but the Central American as well as the European Parliament criticized, thatthis process is being made without the participation of the people and statedthat they wanted the citizens to share the social, communitarian model.

They added that they had the responsibility to meet this challenge aswell as the challenge of combating poverty, the lack of fiscal resources,violence and drugtrafficking. The Members of the Central American Parliamentexplained that these challenges were faced regionally.

Víctor Ramírez Hernández, chairman during the debates, further pointedout the efforts PARLACEN made to establish a criminal court within the CentralAmerican Court of Justice. This criminal court is aimed at sanctioningtransnational crimes such as drug-trafficking.

The Member of Parliament, Rafael Espada, advocated intensifying a hugeeducation campaign for the integration, motivating all social sectors.

Being of interest in this Latin-American context, a declaration by thePARLACEN was issued during the event condemning the coup d’état against thepresident of Paraguay, Fernando Lugo. The European participants expressed their concerns that the bilateraldifferences and the conflicts in governance, like border controversy andenvironmental problems between Nicaragua and Costa

Rica, could have disturbing consequences for the integration of theregion. As the Central-American participants explained, PARLACEN has turned itsattention to these problems through its good offices, which try to find aviable solution respecting the regional institutional framework.

In closing the event, the Member of Parliament and Secretary RobertoAlejos as well as the chairwoman Emine Bozkurt, expressed their satisfactionwith the results achieved and the organisation of the event. They welcomed theopen character of the exchange and the broad participation of national andinternational press and stated that this event will help to strengthen the cooperationbetween the European and the Central American parliament.

Communication Department Guatemala, 18th July 2012

Annual Conference on Political Parties

The Central American Parliament is organizing, through its Political and Partisan Issues Committee, the XXI Central American and Caribbean Conference on Political Parties. It will be held in the city of Tegucigalpa, Honduras, next August 28-29. Representatives from the main partisan organizations and international observers will attend the conference. Among other issues, a retrospective review of the political institutions’ role in the integration process over the last decades will be conducted. Hopefully, the event will have the valuable support from the Government of Honduras. It is expected that President Porfirio Lobo inaugurates this important event, when it will be officially confirmed that work is also going ahead in the Central American Parliament sub-headquarters located in this sister nation. The working group is chaired by the MPs Carlos Vargas Pineda, President of the Committee, and the Vice-President of the Board, Oscar Armando Escalante Ayala from Honduras.

took place on May 3-4, 2012 in Hamburg, Germany. Vice-President of Honduras, Oscar Escalante, Gloria Oqueli, Co-President of EUROLAT, and Sonia Segura, coordinator of the PARLACENgroupe, represented the PARLACEN at EUROLAT.

Cartagena, Colombia.- In his speech at the Summit of the Americas the President of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), Manolo Pichardo, blamed neoliberalism and unbridled capitalism for the global economic crisis.

Guatemala.- Last saturday Otto Pérez Molina, Guatemala‘s President, propsed to create a regional court in order to fight drug trafficking in the Region. Manolo Pichardo, the President of the Central-American Parliament, PARLACEN, made a counter-suggestion focusing on the acknowledgment of the crimes related to drug trafficking and the installation of the specialized unit instructed to judge them in the Central-American Court of Justice (CCJ).

Nicaragua.- The President of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega assured his assistance to the initiatives that are being promoted by the PARLACEN to the President of the Central- American Parliament, the Dominican Manolo Pichardo. He classified these initiatives as, important and beneficiary to our Region“ although he acknowledged that, it is a difficult task because monopolies have to be broken up.

A delegation of the Haitian Senate, headed by Simon Desras was receptive to the request of the Central American Parliament PARLACEN, that this nation shall be part of the regional organization as an observer.

San José, Costa Rica.- A delegation of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), headed by its President   Monolo   Pichardo,   met   Costa   Rica’s   Foreign   Minister,   José   Enrique   Castillo   Barrantes, to inform him about the importance of this institutional body for regional development and measures taken by the PARLACEN to achieve it.

Santo Domingo – The president of the Central American Parliament, PARLACEN, the Dominican Manolo Pichardo declared the decision of the Supreme Court of Justice of Panama to rule that the law that ordered the withdrawal of Panama from the regional forum was unconstitutional as a big triumph and a step forward in integration.

The Associated Press
PANAMA –

The Supreme Court of Panama declared that the law impelled by the Panamanian government that untied the Country from the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) was unconstitutional. The decision was taken unanimously during an extraordinary session of the full court, and was made just one year after Panama's withdraw from the regional forum.

The Mexican senators Eduardo Nava and Francisco Herrara León, both observers at the Central American Parliament PARLACEN, are promoting a legislativ initiative at the Congress of the neighbouring state aiming to abolish entry visas for Central Americans travelling to this country.

In an interview held with the local newspaper Metropolitano de Guatemala, the President of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), Manolo Pichardo, talks about the importance of the PARLACEN and the initiatives that it brings about for the citizens in this region. Following here is a reproduction of the text.

Members of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) participated in the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EUROLAT) sessions in Brussels, Belgium, held November 21-23, 2011. EUROLAT is co-presided by the PARLACEN Member of Parliament (MP), for the State of Honduras, Gloria Oquelí and the Spanish Europe-MP Ignacio Salafranca. At this occasion, sessions were held by the three commissions on political, economic and social issues, and by the working group on migration.

On October 28, 2011 the election process for the Board of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) took place, followed by the assumption of office on October 31.

Dorido Jayan Cortez M., president of PARLACEN. Once again, now with the Forum of Political Parties and Political Forum of Women, the Central American Parliament continues to expand his active presence in the regional stage.

The Central American Parliament, together with the Forum of Women in Political Parties El Salvador and the Legislative Assembly with the support of UN Women, held THE NATIONAL MEETING OF WOMEN IN POLITICAL PARTIES IN EL SALVADOR on Friday August 12th with the theme "let us end gender violence and human trafficking". This meeting was held in order to bring forward proposals on the issue of women's policies in each of the countries of the region.

PARLACEN’s former President and current MP Gloria Oquelí de Macoto has been elected as co-president of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EUROLAT) in Montevideo, Uruguay, on May 19th, 2011, at the plenary session of this important body which groups together 150 MPs from 60 European and Latin-American countries. The Co-presidency is constituted by the MEP Ignacio Salafranca, as European component, and the MP Gloria Oquelí, as Latin-American component.

The delegation of PARLACEN MPs to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EUROLAT) participated in an outstanding way in this very Assembly held in Montevideo, Uruguay, in May 2011. There have been elected as co-president of the EUROLAT the MP Gloria Oquelí and as co-vice president the MP Dorindo Cortez.

The permanent regional body of political and democratic representation (PARLACEN) of the member countries belongig to the Central American Integration System (SICA) welcomes the signing of "Agreement for National Reconciliation and Consolidation of Democracy in the Republic of Honduras” on May 22nd, in Cartagena de Indias, Republic of Colombia.

The Central American Parliament as permanent and regional body of democratic and political representation of the Central American Integration System – SICA -, is based on the governing principles of participatory and representative democracy. It is part of the Interparliamentary Union -IPU-, an international organisation that constitutes a focal point for the worlwide parliamentary dialogue and whose main end is peace, democracy and cooperation thoughout the world.

In order to exchange opinions between the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) and the Secretariat of Economic Integration of Central America (SIECA) about the Subsystem of the Economic Integration of Central America an informating and updating meeting was held, Monday, April 11. Members of the Board of Parliament as well as the presidents of the Permanent Commissions participated.

In a sitting which took place thursday, 24th of march 2011, the Plenum decided to attend the celebrations for the beginning of the New Year 5,127 which is determined by the Nahual Kab’lajuj E, one year prior to the celebration of the Mayan calendar‘s completion of the millennial era which will lead to the beginning of Baqtun 13

During the Declaration of the Plenary Meeting, approved the 24th of march 2011, the assemblymen and -women of the Central American Parliament called on the Panamanian Government to keep up the dialog with its indigenous inhabitants, to acknowledge their indigenous authorities and to conduct appropriate consultations in order to search for solutions via pacific means to their main demands and thus fortifying the governability and the democracy in the region.

On Thursday, February 24, the Secretary General of the Centralamerican Integration System (SICA), Doctor Juan Daniel Alemán, presented his report referring to the working plans,

Enforcing some of the new attributions of the Central American Parliament, established in the Reform Protocol of the Constitutive Treaty of the Central American Parliament, on Friday February 25

The Central American Parliament – PARLACEN – calls on the people and governments of the Middle East and North Africa to “promote dialogue and political negociation as appropriate mechanism in order to find a negociated way out of the conflict which is taking place at the moment in this region of the earth”.

The Central American Parliament’s Plenary Assembly adopted Resolution AP/1-226/2011, in which it enthusiastically welcomes the creation of the Social Economic Council that helps to demonstrate to society the importance of achieving common goals.

In Resolution AP/2-CCXXVI-2011, the Central American Parliament’s Plenary Assembly reiterated its concern about the current situation in Haiti and demanded a more effective solidarity, complying with its commitments to international organizations, which result in economic aid and institutional re-organization projects, as had been promised by all major powers and the international community.

In the presence of the President of Honduras, Porfirio Lobo Sosa, government officials, diplomatic corps and other special guests, the 1st Forum “ National Issues Reviewed by the Central American Parliament“ took place on Thursday, February 17th 2011.

The President of the Central American Parliament, Member of Parliament (MP) Dorindo Cortéz, on behalf of the Plenary Assembly, proceeded to swear Mr. Ernesto Torres Chico in, as Secretary General of the Secretariat of the Economic Integration of Central America (SIECA), during a special ceremony hold on Tuesday, January 27, 2011.

During the plenary sitting from Thursday, the 2nd December the Board Secretary, Member of Parliament (MP) Carlos Gomez Chávarry and the President of the Commission on Integration, Trade and Economic Development, MP Albertina Urbina, presented the Chairman of the Central American Parliament, MP Dorindo Cortéz, the Proposal Report for the Meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the System for Central American Integration (SICA), regarding the “Esquipulas III, Esquipulas de los Publos” and the results of the Regional Consultation Process.

The Central American Parliament’s Plenary Assembly approved the Recommendation AP/1-224/2010 in order to have a regional position at the XVI World Reunion on Climate Change, which takes place in Cancún, Mexico, between the 29th of November and 10th of December 2010.

The Central American Parliament’s Plenary Assembly approved the Resolution AP/2-225/2010 which requests the governments of Nicaragua and Costa Rica to use an open and unconditional dialogue to find a peaceful solution concerning the dispute about the river San Juan.

In Guatemala on Wednesday 24 November, the "National High Level Dialogue on Migration” was held in order to seek cooperation and institutional networking of organizations working on the issue of migration. The conference was organized by the Central American Parliament, together with the Pastoral Care of Migrants of the Guatemalan Episcopal Conference.

The election process of the Board of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) took place on the 22nd and the assumption of office on the 28th of October 2010. The presidency for the period 2010-2011 is held by the state of Panama, whose Member of Parliament Dorindo Jayan Cortéz Marciaga was elected as President.

With the deposit of the instrument of ratification of the ‘Protocol of Amendment to the Constituent Treaty of the PARLACEN and other political bodies’, by the government of Honduras on Monday, August 30th at the General Secretariat of SICA (Central American Integration System), the conditions for the new legal instrument to enter into force are fulfilled.

Within the scope of the 10th regional meeting of women of political parties “Woman and regional integration, opposite to Gender violence”, organized by the Central American Parliament, the participants analysed the challenges in the matter of legislation in order to stop the Gender violence in the region.

The 19th Central American and Caribbean Conference of political parties “From the intergovernmental cooperation to the communitarian integration”, organized by the political and party subjects of the Central American Parliament treating commission, was opened on Tuesday, the 24th of August, by the President of the Republic of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes.

From July 16 to 18, 2010, the European Conference for the Reconstruction and Stabilization of Haiti took place in the city of Lugo, Spain. The agenda focused on analyzing the current situation in the Republic of Haiti after the tragic earthquake on January, 12 and on debating the progress and perspectives of the reconstruction process.

A delegation of Members of the European Parliament, formed by Emine Bozkurt - the chairwoman - as well as Inés Ayala Sender and Boguslaw Sonik, visited the Central American Parliament in Guatemala City on Thursday, May 27. During their participation in the plenary meeting they presented, inter alia, a status report of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Central America.

Jacinto Suárez, President of the Central American Parliament and member of the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), has been elected as Co-Vicepresident of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EUROLAT) during the IV plenary session of this Bi-regional institution on 15th of Mai in Sevilla, Spain.

The Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, meeting in Seville from 13 to May 15, 2010, met a proposed resolution supporting PARLACEN submitted by 20 representatives from several Latin American and European countries, by which it supports the process of ratification of the protocol of amendments to PARLACEN which involve new functions for PARLACEN.

A delegation of representatives of the Central American Parliament is participating at the Fourth Ordinary Plenary Session of the Euro-Latin America Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat), which takes place from May 13 till 15, 2010 at the conference and exhibition centre of Seville, Spain.

During a Meeting, held in Guatemala city from 19th to 20th April, the executive director of the Central American System of Integration (SICA), Edgar Chamorro Marín, presented the Second Program to Support the Central American Integration (PAIRCA II) to the president of the Central American Parliament, Jacinto Suárez Espinoza. This program is funded by the European Union.

With the President of the Republic of Guatemala, Álvaro Colom, as well as the Vice-President Rafael Espada being present on Wednesday, 21st April, the inauguration of the Esquipulas regional forum “Post-conflict Social and Economic Challenges in Central America” was carried out.

In the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina on 30th and 31st March 2010 the meeting of the Board of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly – EUROLAT- and the working group on Migration issues on the relations between the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean was materialized. Both meetings took place at the National Congress.

During the plenary assembly the deputies of the Central American Parliament adopted the Resolution AP/12-217/2010, „On the Decision of the Central American States and the European Union Regarding the Negotiation of an Association Agreement Region to Region“.