Brussels, 22/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - The European Union and Chile want to build on the good understanding that governs their bilateral relationship in order to open their cooperation up to new areas.
“Our intention is to increase cooperation in areas such as environmental protection and gender equality”, said Chile's foreign minister Heraldo Munoz at the end of the EU-Chilean Association Council on Tuesday 20 April. He also spoke about both partners' desire to explore “cooperation in trilateral to assist less developed countries in Central America” and “to increase the impact” of what the EU and Chile are already doing separately in Central America. These avenues to be explored will enable the association agreement between the two partners to be modernised. Munoz noted that trade between the EU and Chile has grown significantly in recent years with the entry into force of a free trade agreement in 2003.
The EU is Chile's second largest trading partner (15.4% of the country's total bilateral trade), coming after China (20%) and before the US (15.3%), according to the European Commission.
On behalf of the European Union, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini expressed her condolences to the families of the victims of the recent floods which hit northern Chile. On the regional level, she spoke about the discussions held on Cuba and Venezuela, as well as Chile's role as it is currently chairs the United Nations Security Council as a non-permanent member. (Mathieu Bion)