In an international context marked by geopolitical tensions and profound transformations, experts, diplomats, and representatives of European and Latin American institutions met this Thursday in Brussels to discuss the future of relations between the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
The event “Strategic Partners in Uncertain Times: Towards a Broader EU Engagement with Latin America and the Caribbean” was jointly organised by the Elcano Royal Institute, the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM), and the EU-LAC Foundation.
The meeting took place just a few weeks before the upcoming EU-CELAC Summit, scheduled for 9 and 10 November in Santa Marta, Colombia, where leaders from both regions will meet again two years after the relaunch of the bi-regional dialogue following a long pause.
In his welcoming remarks, Melchior Szczepanik, Head of PISM’s Brussels Office, underlined the need to strengthen cooperation between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean. The opening session featured interventions by Pelayo Castro, Acting Managing Director for the Americas at the European External Action Service (EEAS), and Anyurivet Daza Cuervo, Minister Plenipotentiary at the Embassy of Colombia in Belgium and to the EU.
Castro stressed that the upcoming EU-CELAC Summit should focus on strengthening democracy and multilateralism, acting jointly against protectionism, promoting the triple transition —green, digital, and social— and enhancing cooperation in addressing challenges related to citizen security and organised crime. He emphasised that Latin America and the Caribbean are “part of the solution, not the problem,” and called for seizing the opportunities offered by a partnership built on historical ties and a shared vision of the international order.
For her part, Cuervo also highlighted as priorities ahead of the Heads of State and Government meeting the strengthening of trade and the defence of multilateralism. She also mentioned energy and food security, as well as gender equality, stressing the need to translate these goals into concrete cooperation projects.
The main debate, entitled “Challenges and Expectations ahead of the EU-CELAC Summit,” brought together Anna Barrera (Programme Director at the EU-LAC Foundation), Ernesto Talvi (Senior Researcher at the Elcano Royal Institute), and Bartłomiej Znojek (Latin America Analyst at PISM).
Barrera shared examples of successful bi-regional cooperation, such as the EU-LAC Digital Alliance, launched in 2023 and based on a shared vision of a sustainable, inclusive, and human-centred digital transition. She also referred to the Joint Research and Innovation Initiative (JIRI), launched in 2010, which has focused on research infrastructures, researcher mobility, and joint initiatives on global challenges and open science.
The debate in Brussels reaffirmed that relations between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean are at a crucial juncture, as both regions seek to transform their historical political and cultural affinity into a stronger and more effective strategic partnership.
