A friendship relationship works if there is memory, trust and shared plans for the future. A lasting friendship can overcome crises and setbacks. We often say that the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean share values, history, culture, languages and deep political, economic and family ties. It is true, but we cannot live in the past.
In this moment of geopolitical inflection when the old has not yet disappeared and the new has not yet emerged, we must all recalibrate our strategic compass, identifying dangers and threats, as well as partners and opportunities.
And although instinct makes us withdraw, we must resist because, in today’s hyper-connected world, there is no corner to hide. The shock waves of the pandemic, the economic crisis and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine hit us all.
Our relationship is built on solid foundations. The EU is the third destination for Latin American exports and the number one source of investment: European companies have already invested in Latin America and the Caribbean more than in China, Japan, Russia and India combined.
We have one of the densest networks of political and trade agreements, covering 27 of the 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries. The EU is also the biggest contributor of development assistance to the region.
The relationship is positive and, perhaps because of this, we relax too much. It’s time to wake up. We have to recognize that Latin America and the Caribbean have not received the strategic attention they deserve from us, and we need to propose a deepening of our relations in intensity and volume —that is, in quantitative terms—, but also in qualitative terms, with new agreements and alliances, adapting the approach to new challenges.
Of course, this is something that requires the collaboration not only of governments and institutions, but also of civil society, business people, students, universities, scientists and creators. The more than 230 million young people on both sides of the Atlantic have a lot to say.
This is why the first bi-regional ministerial meeting since 2018 between the Chancellors of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union, which I will co-chair with our Argentine host, this Thursday (27) is so important.
We have to talk more. Reflect together. Listen to each other. Identify and accept differences, but above all build a positive agenda to relaunch our partnership. In Buenos Aires we have a very broad agenda, but I want to highlight three fundamental reasons to cooperate more and better.
First, promoting peace through a multilateral order based on fairer and more inclusive rules. Together, by the vast majority, we condemn Russia’s unwarranted and illegal invasion of Ukraine and its terrible human cost. Together, we demand respect for the principles of international law that Latin America helped to create, such as respect for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of States.
At a time when the territories of another State are being invaded and annexed, and the threat of the use of nuclear weapons is open, the voice of Latin America and the Caribbean as a region that defends a pluralist — and anti-imperialist — vision of the international community and which since 1969, thanks to the Treaty of Tlatelolco, has banned nuclear weapons, must be heard.
Of course, peace and democracy go together. If we want to defeat the autocratic threat and give more space for freedom and justice in our democracies, we can only do it together.
Second, we need a common agenda to tackle the three great challenges of the 21st century: climate change, the digital revolution and social cohesion. The world to come will be more divided, fragmented and multipolar, with a setback in economic globalization.
It is urgent that we work together in this new geopolitical scenario to tackle the global problems of food, energy and debt, exacerbated by war. We can and must do so because our interests coincide.
In response to the pandemic and the aftermath of the war, on both sides of the Atlantic we want to strengthen our autonomy(ies), avoiding forced dependencies and increasing our economic resilience. But autonomy does not mean isolation.
Autonomy requires cooperation and reliable partners to reach agreements, share technology, regulate new markets, innovate and research, connect secure infrastructures —such as the great transatlantic digital cable Bella that connects Portugal and Brazil, but with the aim of connecting Europe to the whole of Europe. Latin America, or the Copernicus satellite network—and diversify more resilient and committed global value chains. All this with advanced social and environmental standards.
Latin America and the Caribbean is a world power in biodiversity, renewable energy, agricultural production and strategic raw materials that wants to take advantage of new transitions to industrialize key sectors and add value to production capacity.
It wants to grow, but with greater equality and sustainability. Europe has the technological and investment capacity and also needs alliances with reliable partners to diversify its supply chains.
The challenge is, therefore, to modernize and strengthen ties, not dependencies, putting people at the center of this triple ecological and digital transition, but also social. If we don’t reduce inequalities, our citizens will turn their backs on change.
After all, our democracies, here and there, as a fellow Latin American minister recently reminded me, subscribe to Cicero’s maxim: “Salus populi suprema lex.” The health and well-being of the people is the supreme law.
Third, in a world of giants, size matters. Together, we represent a third of the United Nations. The EU has grown amid crises, and Putin’s war reminds us that scale, and therefore unity, are essential to survival.
I also appreciate that more and more Latin American and Caribbean leaders are calling for a stronger, united regional voice. Latin American integration is a great promise to be fulfilled that it is not up to us Europeans to resolve, but to support. In building the multilateral order of the future, our regional organizations must play a key role.
Additionally, the success in outlining a positive EU-Celac agenda will make it possible to consolidate the strategic partnership between the European Union and Brazil and create a convergence of interests and a combination of capabilities that will allow us to address an international context undergoing unprecedented transformations.
In Buenos Aires, we will resume the path towards the revitalization of our friendship, and we will do so with memory, confidence and plans for the future.
With a wealth of experience honed over 4+ years in journalism, I bring a seasoned voice to the world of news. Currently, I work as a freelance writer and editor, always seeking new opportunities to tell compelling stories in the field of world news.
