Brussels, 12/10/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Union and Chile have welcomed the intention of Chile and the European Commission to enhance their cooperation on prevention and response capacity to natural disasters, announced at their 5th Association Council in Brussels on Friday 7 October. The EU was the main external provider of assistance after the earthquake and tsunami which hit Chile in February 2010. Discussions were also opened on involving Chile as quickly as possible in European crisis management operations.
The EU and Chile were of one mind in believing that their association agreement continues to deliver positive results on trade and investment levels. These have retained a “remarkable” degree of dynamism and the capacity to recover swiftly after the 2009 economic downturn, said Polish Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Grazyna Maria Bernatowwicz and Chilean Foreign Minister Alfredo Moreno Charme in a joint press release. Both sides have agreed to explore options for enhancing trade relations. In addition to trade issues, they took stock of their scientific cooperation and on tackling climate change ahead of the UN Rio+20 conference in June 2012. The 6th meeting of the EU-Chile Association Council will take place in 2013. (MB/transl.rt)