Political relations between Honduras, as part of Central America, and the EU are governed by the Association Agreement, signed in 2012, which established three pillars: political dialogue, cooperation and trade.

The Association Agreement is the most important institutional bond the EU can establish with its partners at the global level. This kind of agreement is reserved for partners with whom the EU wants to have a strong long-term bond based on mutual trust and the defence of shared values and principles.

Europe has always had strong cultural, political and historical ties with Honduras.

Since the Stockholm Declaration of 1999, which covered such issues as governance, human rights and aid effectiveness, joint action plans have been developed between Honduras and its donors. Since 2010, the Honduran government's National Plan has provided a framework to coordinate all efforts and is the basis of the Multiannual Indicative Programme. The Framework Cooperation Agreement signed in 1993 together with other Central American countries forms the current legal basis for cooperation between Honduras and the European Union.

The signing of the Association Agreement strengthened the EU's trade relations with Central America and thus, with Honduras. The Agreement established a free trade area that promotes investment and the Central American region's competitiveness.

Honduran agriculture, with products like sugar, coffee and resin, is one of the sectors most benefited by the Association Agreement, but industrial sector exports to the EU have also increased.

Honduras contributes 32 % of total exports to the EU from the Central American region, while the EU is the country's second largest trade partner. According to figures from the Central Bank of Honduras, in 2015 the trade balance favoured Honduras, with a balance of almost 260 million dollars.

In addition to the Association Agreement between the EU and Central America, some EU countries, such as Germany and Italy, have their own chamber of commerce in Honduras.

The EU also offers support on the web for exporting to its markets: Export Helpdesk.

Honduras is located in one of the world's most disaster-prone regions. Since 1993, the EU has provided humanitarian aid to deal with natural disasters (like Hurricane Mitch in 1999 or Tropical Storm Agatha in 2010). The body responsible for EU humanitarian aid in Central America is ECHO, the Directorate General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations.

Assistance has been given with a variety of actions such as providing temporary shelter, food, drinking water and medical help to those affected.

ECHO has contributed more than €34 million in Honduras since 1994. This contribution has helped save the lives of those affected by disasters and facilitated implementation of projects to strengthen the response of local communities and authorities to emergencies.