“Europe wants to partner with you.” With these words, Ursula von der Leyen, the top executive official of the European Union, set the tone for the bloc’s resumption of relations with the 33 countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), after years of stalemate.
The European Commission president made the declaration as part of her opening remarks at the EU-CELAC summit in Brussels, the first to be held in eight years.
Following a four-day trip to the region last month — with stops in Brasília, Buenos Aires, Santiago, and Mexico City — Ms. von der Leyen has embarked on a charm offensive towards Latin America, setting her sights on major regional economies such as Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Council, used his pre-summit statements to the press to call for a binding mechanism to convene the leaders of the two organizations every two years to avoid another long hiatus.
Overall, Latin American leaders returned from Brussels with some important commitments from their European partners. In particular, the EU’s long-touted Global Gateway Investment Agenda — and the roughly EUR 45 billion (USD 50.58 billion) it will bring to the region — is sure to be welcomed by national politicians and business leaders.
The long list of projects Brussels is eyeing as part of its Global Gateway investments...
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