For each country of Central American region, the Commission has developed a strategy to support that country's political and social priorities, in particular good governance and democracy, justice, the environment and the fight against insecurity, inequality and poverty.

The sums proposed for 2007-2013 are: EUR34 million for Costa Rica, EUR121 million for El Salvador, EUR135 million for Guatemala, EUR223 million for Honduras, EUR214 million for Nicaragua, EUR38 million for Panama and EUR75 million for regional cooperation.

In her statement, Benita Ferrero-Waldner welcomed the adoption of this programme by the Commission, explaining that:

"Our cooperation strategy with Central America is just one of the ways in which the European Commission is helping the countries of the region cope with the dual challenge of regional integration and social cohesion, and it will accompany the future association agreement between the two regions. It is a powerful symbol of our solidarity with Central America as we begin negotiations with our partners there for an association agreement that we are convinced will be enormously beneficial."

She added: "In order to meet this objective, we have just adopted a new cooperation strategy that increases aid for the region by 25% over previous periods."

The European Union hopes to launch negotiations in the near future for an association agreement with Central America that will strengthen relations between the two regions. Financial aid to the region will be increased significantly, by nearly EUR200 million.

The Commission's aim is to contribute to the economic and political development of the region, while helping to reduce social inequality so that economic growth is distributed more equitably.