European Council President António Costa expressed the European Union’s support for the efforts of Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo to strengthen democracy in Guatemala, on Wednesday 20 May, following a meeting in Guatemala City.
“The work President Arévalo is doing is very important because it shows that it is possible to change things and build respected and respectable institutions”, Mr Costa said. He assured that the EU would continue to support the Guatemalan government’s agenda aimed at promoting human rights and the rule of law and, in parallel, pursue economic cooperation with the Central American country under the bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in February 2024 (see EUROPE B1335424).
On the same day, EU representatives handed Mr Arévalo a preliminary report from a mission supporting the Guatemalan authorities in the selection of judges to the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court, as well as the Attorney General.
Last Sunday, Guatemala’s new Attorney General announced the abolition of a special prosecution unit that had brought proceedings under his predecessor, María Consuelo Porras. She is under EU sanctions for having tried to prevent Mr Arévalo from taking office (see EUROPE 13783/19).
Mr Arévalo described the EU as a “loyal, strong and reliable friend” at this moment of political transition in Guatemala. The preliminary report of the European mission will help us “reform the judicial system to avoid the crises we have experienced in recent years”, he added.
He welcomed the fact that Guatemalan exports to the EU had doubled since 2023.
To see the joint press release of Mr Arévalo and Mr Costa: https://aeur.eu/f/lzy (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)