Brussels, 17/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - The very first summit of heads of state from the EU and Cariforum has ended in an unqualified success. It was held in Madrid on Monday 17 May 2010, at the same time as the sixth EU-Latin America and Caribbean summit organised by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU (see EUROPE 10139).
The EU-Cariforum summit is a success story on the political front and promises fruitful cooperation in the future, explained all the summit's participants, delighted at in addition to an economic partnership agreement (EPA) between the EU and the 16 Cariforum countries, the special relationship between the EU and this sub-region of the Latin American continent and the group of ACP states (Africa, Caribbean and Pacific) has now been fleshed out and includes a political dimension at head of state level, with regular summits to discuss big mutual challenges to both sides on the international stage. To this end, the outlines of a joint strategy and cooperation to fight climate change and natural disasters were sketched out, along with a common commitment to rebuild Haiti after the devastating earthquake there on 12 January 2010. On Monday other prominent areas of discussion included regional integration within Cariforum and the partnership with the EU, and discussed the role of the Caribbean in world trade.
At a press conference, the Spanish prime minister, José Luis Zapatero, who was hosting the Summit, was delighted that a joint EU-Cariforum strategy had been discussed, along with how the two regions would be associated in the future. He said a document had been drawn up and approved on the EU-Cariforum strategy. Zapatero explained that the politicians had discussed sustainable economic development, the impact on climate change on highly vulnerable countries, and the particular challenge of natural disasters and the desire to work together on the rebuilding of Haiti. Zapatero said the heads of state stood side-by-side with Haiti. The EU wants to take a leadings role here, he said, adding that the issue was of particular importance to Spain.
Speaking on behalf of the European Council, its President, Herman Van Rompuy, said that the EU's partnership with the Caribbean was based on a range of connections and several centuries and both regions had to speak up at the United Nations.
Van Rompuy said the Caribbean was the first area to have agreed to the rules necessary to sign an EPA with the EU, and this was an important stage in relations with the EU that opened up exciting possibilities. He expressed delight at the signing of the EPA, negotiations of which date back to last year, when negotiations were under way with other sub-regions of the ACP group.
Talking about the outline of a joint strategy endorsed by both sides in Madrid, the President of the European Council said the new strategy would take a two-pronged approach: 1) What would the two regions do together? and 2) What can be done to deal with international challenges like climate change, reform of the United Nations and boosting the multilateral system? He said that a long-term approach was required, an approach jointly owned by both sides and based on shared democratic values, human rights and international law. In order to make manifest both sides' desire to focus on the Caribbean's vulnerability, special talks will be set up on climate change and an EU-Cariforum conference will be held under the auspices of the European Commission before the UN summit in Cancun, Mexico, on 29 November to 10 December 2010 (COP 16), announced Van Rompuy. Pointing out that the Copenhagen Agreement includes special rapid implementation funding to reduce the impact of climate change and help countries adjust to it, he said that the EU was strongly committed to rapid action.
The President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, welcomed the setting up for the first time of a broad strategy with the Caribbean that goes beyond trade and development to include political dialogue, climate change and areas that have never before been explored under EU-Caribbean dialogue. He said that both sides hoped that the joint strategy that had been agreed upon would lead to tangible and quantifiable outcomes.
Commenting on the outcome of the first bilateral summit, the foreign minister of Barbados, Maxine McLean, who was representing the Caribbean, said it was a question of the Caribbean finding its place in the international community and finding its role. She said the heads of state had tried to baptise the EPA and hoped its implementation would be facilitated by the summit's decisions. She explained that both sides had recognised the high vulnerability of the Caribbean to natural disasters and the impact of climate change, including loss of biodiversity. The joint statement published at the end of the summit says that greater cooption is needed in this domain.
Both sides have agreed to hold the second EU-Cariforum summit at the same time as the seventh EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit in 2012, or earlier if necessary. (A.N. trans fl)