As Spanish ministers had announced on numerous occasions before their country took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union at the beginning of July, Spain intends to fight to advance relations - especially trade relations - between the EU and Latin America. It will also host the EU/CELAC summit in Brussels on 17 and 18 July.
In its programme for the next 6 months, the Spanish Presidency wants to “prioritise decisive and definitive advances in agreements with Latin America and the Caribbean, such as the agreements with Chile, Mexico and Mercosur, and the association agreement with Central America”.
The Spanish authorities had hoped to see negotiations concluded between the EU and Mercosur by the time of the EU/CELAC summit, but this prospect has receded in recent months. The Mercosur countries have recently been critical of the content of the agreement and have still not sent their counter-proposal to the additional clause proposed by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13209/37).
The EU is content to hope for “progress” at the EU/CELAC summit. There is more hope for the other agreements - the EU/Chile Association Agreement could be signed at the end of 2023, one year after the conclusion of negotiations.
As for the agreement with Mexico, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Mexican President, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, have stated that they wish to complete negotiations by the end of the year (see EUROPE 13203/21).
The Spanish Presidency also wants to “work to conclude negotiations on the EU-Australia Free Trade Agreement” and consolidate trade relations with the United States.
As far as relations with China are concerned, which divide the Member States even more, it will be a matter of “keeping communication channels open and supply chains functioning, ensuring equal access” to the European and Chinese markets.
More generally, the Spanish Presidency believes that a diversification of trade relations and an open trade policy would be beneficial to the EU.
See the programme of the Spanish Presidency of the EU Council: https://aeur.eu/f/7v4 (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)