The Heads of State or Government of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean (CELAC) and the European Union agreed to “accelerate” their cooperation in a number of areas, such as climate action, the energy transition and trade, and to deepen their joint efforts to tackle transnational organised crime, on Sunday 9 November in the Caribbean city of Santa Marta (Colombia).
During their speeches at the EU/CELAC Summit, many of the leaders stressed the importance of the sixty or so countries represented uniting to defend a rules-based international order, at a time when the United States, since Donald Trump’s return to power, is disengaging from the international fight against climate disruption, rekindling trade tensions by unilaterally imposing customs barriers and bombing boats in the Caribbean Sea accused of contributing to drug trafficking.
“Multilateralism” means that different nations and cultures come together to find solutions to common problems, without one country “imposing” its views on the others, declared Colombian President Gustavo Petro, host of the Bi-regional Summit and directly sanctioned by Washington. “No single country can solve the problem of climate change”, “poverty” or manage the issue of information of the digital economy, he stressed.
Faced with an international context marked by “economic competition” and geopolitics, the President of the European Council, António Costa, praised “a relationship of equals” between the participating countries, based on respect for democracy, international law and social justice.
In their unanimously adopted joint declaration, apart from the withdrawal of Venezuela and Nicaragua, the participating countries reiterated their “opposition to the threat or use of force and to any action not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations”. They note that CELAC has proclaimed itself a “zone of peace” where disputes are to be settled through dialogue and cooperation.
“The threat of military force has once again become part of everyday life in Latin America and the Caribbean. Old rhetorical manoeuvres are being recycled to justify illegal interventions”, said Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, an ally of Gustavo Petro, quoted by AFP. For her part, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, pointed out on her arrival at the Summit that the use of force by a State is legitimate “for two reasons: either in self-defence or by virtue of a UN Security Council resolution”.
See the ‘Santa Marta Declaration’: https://aeur.eu/f/jd3
Trade. While the Bi-regional Summit in July 2023 brought its share of announcements of economic partnerships between the EU and several Latin American countries, the 2025 Summit was more restrained in this respect. The partners simply undertake to work to broaden and deepen the existing network of trade agreements between them.
The strategic nature of the economic links between the two blocs has only just been recognised. More broadly, the EU and CELAC countries stress “the importance of moving forward together to reduce trade tensions, facilitate international trade, improve market access and guarantee food security”. The signatories of the joint declaration insist that dialogue is essential if barriers to trade are to be removed.
EU/CELAC relations are not particularly marked by trade disputes, but both blocs are suffering from the impact of tariffs and other restrictions imposed by the United States and China.
Noting that Europeans, Latin Americans and Caribbean peoples face “the same challenges: how to overcome old dependencies and how to avoid new ones”, Mrs Kallas pledged that the EU would remain “a stable, predictable and principled trade partner for CELAC”. Mr Costa pointed out that since 2013, trade between the EU and CELAC has increased by 45%, with the EU remaining the leading investor in Latin America.
Investments. The EU/CELAC Summit provided an opportunity to take stock of the hundred or so projects that have been launched since July 2023, thanks in particular to support from the European ‘Global Gateway’ initiative (see EUROPE 13225/1). New concrete initiatives were also unveiled.
Two years ago, the partners launched a ‘Digital Alliance’ to increase connectivity between the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Mrs Kallas spoke of setting up an EU/CELAC supercomputing network dedicated to artificial intelligence in order to share resources and encourage investment in the digital economy. The network will receive €15 million in funding from the EU, Spain and Brazil.
At the same time, through the BELLA programme, high-speed connections will cover Costa Rica and Guatemala by the end of the year, followed by Central America, Peru and the Caribbean region in 2026. In addition, satellite coverage, particularly of the Amazon region and the Caribbean islands, will be extended.
More information on the EU/CELAC Digital Alliance: https://aeur.eu/f/jd1
Civil protection. In addition, the EU and eighteen CELAC countries have launched a new ‘Alliance for Citizen Security’. The aim is to promote a comprehensive approach to security, building on existing cooperation in the field of justice and strengthening cooperation in the fight against drug trafficking (COPOLAD), border management (EUROFRONT), maritime security, port security and cyber security.
See the specific declaration on citizens’ security: https://aeur.eu/f/jd5
In particular, the EU has proposed joining forces to ensure that information is shared between legitimate players in the maritime sector. The CRIMARIO programme will therefore be extended to the entire Latin American and Caribbean region, in compliance with international law.
For more information on the CRIMARIO programme: https://aeur.eu/f/jd0
On the sidelines of the EU/CELAC Summit, France announced the opening, in collaboration with Colombia, of a regional academy in the Dominican Republic, which will train investigators and customs officers with a view to stepping up the fight against organised crime.
Health. Finally, the EU/CELAC Summit was an opportunity for the EU and sixteen Latin American and Caribbean countries to launch the ‘Pact on Care’ initiative, which extends cooperation in the social field. The future platform will facilitate structured discussions on how to strengthen social protection systems, working conditions for healthcare professionals and gender equality.
See the declaration on the ‘Pact on Care’ initiative: https://aeur.eu/f/jd6 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion and Léa Marchal)