Brussels, 11/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - Advocating a relationship between equals, the European Union and countries of Latin America and the Caribbean want to act together at an international level in order to address global challenges, such as climate change, even if it means toning down certain regional issues, such as the political situation in Venezuela, in order to avoid offending sensitivities.
“We will not agree on everything. This is natural. Sometimes, what is more important is understanding each other better”, said European Council President Donald Tusk at the end of the EU-CELAC bi-regional summit in Brussels on Thursday 11 June (see EUROPE 11132 and 11329).
The European and Latin American leaders have therefore committed to acting together to make a success of the next big international milestones - the conferences on financing development policy, the review of the world objectives to fight poverty, the fight against climate change (COP 21 conference in Paris in December).
“Climate change matters to us both - Latin American and Caribbean countries are very vulnerable to this threat. That's one reason that the Paris talks later this year have to succeed and why the EU will continue providing support to the region through its Euroclima programme”, Tusk stated. According to Ecuador's President Rafael Correa, “an agreement must be reached that is binding and that includes contributions from all the countries to protect the only planet we have”.
Support for removing US embargo against Cuba. Europeans and Latin Americans welcome the ongoing normalisation of relations between Cuba and Brussels. “In this context, we expect all necessary steps to be taken towards an early end to the embargo”, the summit participants state. Although the US has withdrawn Cuba from the list of countries supporting terrorism, the US has maintained an embargo against Cuba since 1962. Correa also pushed for the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Despite the recent tension observed in Colombia, progress has been made in the negotiations between the Colombian government and the FARC for lasting peace in the country. On Thursday, the EU therefore announced the creation of a specific trust to accompany the post-conflict phase once a definitive agreement starts to be applied. In the immediate future, the European Commission has announced an allocation of €5 million to support mine-clearance, and has also announced the creation of a €21 million programme to boost the economies of the areas affected by the conflict.
The two regions underline the importance of generating more value in their bilateral relations. This will come about through the development of concrete cooperation projects in sectors with strong added value, such as research and innovation. The summit was the opportunity to enrich the joint action plan by adding two new sections to the current eight sections. The two new sections are related to university cooperation and citizens' security. Tusk spoke about the desired deployment of a fibre-optic cable linking Portugal directly to Brazil. In Correa's opinion, now is the time for investment in “human talent” with a view to building the foundations of a development that is particularly of benefit to the populations.
The Latin American countries have shown their interest in cooperating with the EU in crisis management operations, like the agreement that Colombia and Chile have already concluded.
On the sidelines of the EU-CELAC summit, the EU will thus have announced the mobilisation of a total sum of nearly €730 million - including €230 million on Wednesday - to support the projects of common interest.
Caution on the situation in Venezuela. In their joint so-called “Brussels statement”, Europeans and Latin Americans restrict themselves to reiterating their “rejection of coercive measures of unilateral character with extra-territorial effect that are contrary to international law” and reaffirm their commitment to “the peaceful settlement of disputes” - an indirect way of criticising the US sanctions taken out against high-level Venezuelans who reportedly played a role in the crackdown of the demonstrations taking place in 2014.
“We reject the absurd argument according to which Venezuela is allegedly an imminent threat to the US”, said Correa, condemning US interference “in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state”.
The joint statement does not mention the political and economic crisis in Venezuela. Spain's former prime minister, Felipe Gonzalez, is currently visiting Venezuela to bring his support to the opposition figures who are now in prison - like the mayor of Caracas Antonio Ledezma, and Leopoldo Lopez, who has begun a hunger strike (see EUROPE 11274 and 11261).
Last week, the Euro-Latin American parliamentary assembly was unable to adopt a joint text due to differences in opinion between Europeans and Latin Americans on the Venezuelan issue. (Mathieu Bion)