Leaders of EU and CELAC countries will meet after an eight-year break
The heads of state and government of the EU and CELAC will hold a high-level meeting on 17 and 18 July in Brussels, eight years after the last meeting organised in 2015.
This summit between the EU and the countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is one of the milestones of the Spanish presidency of the Council of the EU.
A starting point for renewing ties
The war in Ukraine has highlighted the EU’s vulnerabilities and the need to expand its network of alliances and promote Open Strategic Self-Government.
We believe that Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean are called to maintain a strategic relationship in which both regions can be mutually strengthened
The Spanish presidency has made the EU-CELAC summit one of its priorities, and it will be “a turning point” in the ties between the two regions, President of the Government of Spain Pedro Sánchez said in the days leading up to the meeting.
“We believe that Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean are called to maintain a strategic relationship in which both regions can be mutually strengthened,” he said.
Among the issues to be discussed are the establishment of a permanent mechanism for dialogue and consultation at different levels, and the pending trade agreements.
The III EU-CELAC Summit will be held under the theme “Renewing the bi-regional partnership to strengthen peace and sustainable development”.
The leaders of the EU-27 are expected to attend, and 26 of the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean will be represented at the level of heads of state.
For too many years Europe has been turning its back on what is, without a doubt, by far the most Euro-compatible region on the planet, which is Latin America and the Caribbean
After an eight-year break, the Spanish presidency wanted this summit to be a starting point.
“For too many years Europe has been turning its back on what is, without a doubt, by far the most Euro-compatible region on the planet, which is Latin America and the Caribbean,” said the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares.
Trade agreements with Mercosur, Chile and Mexico
In addition to strengthening political dialogue, the summit will address the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay), which has been under negotiation for two decades.
The Spanish presidency also hopes to set this negotiation in motion, and to make definitive progress during this six-month period on updating the existing Association Agreement between the EU and Chile.
The summit will also be the framework for discussing the renewal of the Global Agreement with Mexico.
Three main axes of the summit
The summit will have three main axes:
– Inclusive, equitable and sustainable economic recovery after the pandemic.
– Innovation, the fight against climate change, disaster risk management and the digital agenda.
– Multilateralism, security and governance cooperation, and the promotion and protection of human rights.