At the EU-LAC Foundation, we work to strengthen ties between the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean. We do this through:
Multi-stakeholder dialogue spaces
Knowledge products
Participation in international forums
Training and learning spaces
In addition to its mandate to promote the bi-regional strategic partnership, the organisation aligns its lines of action with the priorities and agreements reached in high-level EU-CELAC spaces, such as the Brussels Declaration (2023) and the 2023–2025 Roadmap.
As a result, we focus our work on significant issues for both regions with potential for collaboration and impact. As part of the strategic planning process for the 2025–2028 mandate, thematic clusters have been identified as guiding frameworks, without excluding new topics that may emerge according to the bi-regional context or future consultation processes.
| Trade, Investment and Fair Economies |
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The EU-LAC Foundation aims to offer analysis and multi-stakeholder dialogue spaces to support decision-makers, investors and other key actors in understanding the current and future state of trade and investment between Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe — one of the historical pillars of the bi-regional strategic partnership.
The organisation seeks to deepen its cooperation with the private sector, establishing partnerships with representative associations and bodies including chambers of commerce, SMEs, cooperatives, trade unions, and development banks. The aim is to jointly analyse the landscape, opportunities and challenges of bi-regional economic relations and investment agendas, including bilateral and multilateral association agreements, the Global Gateway, the EU-LAC Digital Alliance, innovative, exemplary, and scalable practices, as well as options for improving existing policies, programmes, and initiatives.
| Social Contract, Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law |
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Given that the bi-regional strategic partnership between Latin America and the Caribbean and the European Union is rooted in shared values such as human rights and fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and democracy — as reaffirmed in the 2023 EU-CELAC Summit Declaration — the EU-LAC Foundation aims to generate broad, pluralistic spaces, initiatives and studies to reflect on how to reinforce trust, representation, civic engagement and inclusion. It also seeks to enhance state capacity to provide public goods, as well as develop instruments to ensure that social contracts can meaningfully adapt to new realities. These efforts also promote fundamental principles, rights and labour standards for decent work for all.
In both the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean, democracy is facing increasing challenges in a context of declining trust in institutions and threats to the rule of law. While these issues make traditional political alliances more difficult, they also invite more flexible and cross-cutting forms of cooperation with governments willing to collaborate, also involving civil society from both regions.
| Gender Equality |
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Through the EU-LAC WIN Network, the EU-LAC Foundation will promote initiatives in three prioritised areas: (1) environment and gender, (2) the care agenda, and (3) women's political leadership, for example in strategic issues related to foreign policy and bi-regional cooperation.
These actions follow up on international, regional and national commitments made by states in both regions in the area of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, including SDG 5 “Gender Equality”.
They also respond to commitments set out in the 2023 EU-CELAC Summit Declaration, such as addressing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and gender-based violence; and promoting fundamental principles, rights and labour standards related to decent work for all, gender equality, and the full and equal representation and participation of all women and girls in decision-making processes.
| Climate Change, Environment and Finance |
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Taking into account the wide diversity of countries in both regions, their environmental commitments and the actions they have taken, the EU-LAC Foundation could contribute to exchanges on circular economies, bioeconomy, water and sustainable products, with an emphasis on actions, the dissemination of good practices and the creation of synergies among actors from the EU and LAC (civil society organisations, private sector, etc.).
| Security and Illicit Economies |
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The organisation will follow up on the growing concern of societies and authorities about the consequences of cross-border organised crime. In line with the Principle of Common and Shared Responsibility, it intends to offer activities, learning spaces and studies designed to facilitate contact, information exchange and confidence building.
These spaces will allow representatives of civil society, the scientific community, drug observatories and the private sector to share their concerns and perspectives with public authorities, in order to discuss holistic, effective and innovative approaches to intensify cooperation in the face of a challenge that has a devastating impact on sustainable development. Discussions and proposals will give priority consideration to the differentiated impacts of insecurity on women, and will seek to involve women's organisations and the Latin American network of women with experience in security issues.
*Pending approval from the Board of Governors.