The regional integration in the Andean countries started in 1969 with the signature of the Cartagena Agreement in 1969 creating the Andean Group with the objective of creating a customs union and a common market. In 1979 the Andean Council of Foreign Ministers was established at the Andean Tribunal and the Andean Parliament in Bogotá. In 1985 the Andean Parliament agreed the establishment of the Andean University Simon Bolivar located in Sucre, former capital Bolivia. In 1993 it established the free trade area and in 1995 the Andean countries adopted a Common External Tariff.

In 1996, the Protocol of Trujillo provided a reform of the institutional structure creating a path to the creation of the Andean Community. This created the Andean Council of Presidents and the Advisory Council of Foreign Ministers, together with the conversion of the Board of the Cartagena Agreement into a General Secretariat based in Lima, Peru, with not only technical, but also political functions giving a new political direction to the integration process. In 2001 the Andean Passport was created, enabling citizens of member states to travel between the countries without request of visa. In 2005 the integration of Latin American and Caribbean regions gained priority in the agenda of Andean Community.