The agenda between Europe and Latin America

On April 27, 2023, INCIPE held the virtual event titled The Agenda between Europe and Latin America with the participation of Trinidad Jiménez, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation (2010-2011), Minister of Health and Social Policy (2009-2010), and currently the Director of Global Public Affairs Strategy at Telefónica. The event was presented by the Ambassador and Secretary General of INCIPE, Manuel Alabart. Following Jiménez’s intervention, a round of questions moderated by INCIPE’s director Vicente Garrido, began.

During the conference, the current state of relations between the European Union and Latin America was discussed, highlighting the timely opportunity presented in 2023 to reactivate, promote, and consolidate these links. If there are regions in the world that can strengthen their ties, they are Latin America and the EU. According to Jiménez, Latin America is a true colossus gifted with huge biodiversity and has a much larger youth population than the EU, characteristics that should be highly attractive to the EU.

Undoubtedly, Latin America still faces numerous challenges and obstacles to overcome, from high inflation rates, a problem afflicting many other countries in the world, poverty, inequality, significant social fragmentation, and a high rate of informal labor. One of the aspects highlighted by Trinidad Jiménez is the region’s vulnerability to climate change.

Considering the above, it’s worth asking whether it is pertinent to propose strengthened cooperation at this time, as suggested by Trinidad Jiménez. It is noteworthy that Latin America is made up of a total of 33 countries, of which 27 have signed trade or political association agreements with the EU, while Mexico and Brazil hold the status of strategic association. Additionally, three of these countries are members of the G20 (Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico), while four others are members of the OECD, namely Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, and Colombia. These data demonstrate the intense pre-established relationship that we have in the EU with this region.

Latin America is positioned as a relevant trading partner, and despite China’s investments in the continent, the EU continues to be the main direct investor in the region. While it´s true that the EU has had to focus its efforts on addressing urgent issues in its neighborhood, this doesn’t mean that it lacks a genuine interest in Latin America.

The year 2023 presents itself as a propitious opportunity to re-boost bi-regional cooperation, and there are some positive elements in this regard, such as the recent holding of the Ibero-American Summit in the Dominican Republic in March. Also, it’s important to mention the visit of Commissioner Vestager to Colombia with the intention of improving digital infrastructure, and thirdly, the holding of the Summit of Heads of State of the CELAC and the EU, which constitutes a significant milestone, considering that it had not been held since 2015.

Trinidad Jiménez recalls the words of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, in her State of the Union address in September 2022, where she highlighted the strategic importance of Latin America for the EU. Also, Jiménez emphasizes that it is natural for the EU to resume the agenda on Latin America with the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU and refers to the commercial agreements that are under development between both regions. Additionally, she highlights the challenge posed by the launch this year of the agreement between the EU and Mercosur (still in the negotiation period), which is of great relevance to both regions, given that Mercosur has approximately 260 million consumers and is the fifth-largest economy outside the EU. However, a decisive political will is required by both parties to consolidate.

It is essential to stimulate the interest of EU member states in Latin America. Spain has maintained a constant interest in the region and is the main investor of the EU in Latin America. If the objective is to build a multipolar world, it is imperative that the EU considers Latin America as a partner with whom to strengthen mutual interests. Jiménez emphasizes that this is the ideal year to do so.

In the final thoughts, Jiménez brings out the relevance of the strategic triangle EU-LATAM-US, to strengthen ties and achieve a position of power in the world. Additionally, she focuses the attention on the need to maintain a permanent political dialogue between the blocs and to accompany Latin America in its triple transition: social, economic, and digital-energetic. Additionally, Jiménez believes that there is no competition between relations with Africa and relations with Latin America, and that there is room to maintain relations with both.

Regarding legal security in Latin America, Trinidad Jiménez mentions that changes in legal frameworks are a constant not only in the countries of the region but in many other countries worldwide. These changes, as she points out, can happen for many reasons, ranging from fiscal crises to pandemics, and are not necessarily linked to the political ideologies of governments.

Danela Bordones

INCIPE