The Spanish presidency of the EU wants to have Latin American countries like Brazil, which it hopes to have at the July summit, as “best friends” to reduce European external dependencies.
The Spanish presidency of the European Union (EU), which begins this Saturday, wants to have Latin American countries like Brazil, which it hopes to have at the July summit, as “best friends” to reduce European external dependencies.
“They really are already our best friends and with the situation in Russia [pela invasão da Ucrânia] and China, we really have to take a closer look at Latin America”, diplomatic sources told Lusa, anticipating that the Spanish semester in the leadership of the EU, until the end of the year.
After eight years without high-level meetings, the EU summit with CELAC will take place in Brussels on July 17 and 18, bringing together the 27 leaders of the European Member States and the 33 countries of Latin America and the Caribbean , as well as the presidents of the European institutions.
For Madrid, the summit will be, in addition to the “biggest event” of the Spanish presidency, a “window of opportunity” for all countries, mainly in Latin America, with an emphasis on the largest country in the region, Brazil, given the change in the Presidency of the Brazilian society and its greater openness to the world and Europe.
After several months of Spanish contacts with CELAC, the expectation is that the President of Brazil, Lula da Silva, will be present at this July summit, according to Spanish diplomatic sources, who point out that “a joint declaration” will be made on the occasion. signed will have “a reference” to the EU-Mercosur agreement, the Common Market of the South, formed by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
“Not participating in this summit would be losing an opportunity”, the same sources point out to Lusa, expressing the ambition of Spain -and Portugal- to move towards the conclusion of the EU-Mercosur agreement, which covers 25% of the world economy and the 780 million euros people, almost 10% of the world population.
The trade agreement was established by the parties in 2019, when the negotiations concluded, but its ratification is paralyzed by environmental reservations and also by trade concerns from European countries.
“If it depends on us, we will advance as much as possible, but we want to at least give a strong boost,” say Spanish diplomatic sources.
As a whole, the Latin American and Caribbean region is responsible for more than 50% of the planet’s biodiversity, also representing 14% of world food production and 45% of net international agri-food trade. It is also a renewable energy powerhouse, with alternative sources accounting for around 60% of the region’s energy mix.
Madrid wants to use this potential for the EU to develop its “interests in the region in terms of critical materials”, such as rare earth metals or magnesium, for which the EU bloc is currently dependent on China.
In a presidency highly focused on the EU’s relations with the outside world, Spain’s idea is for Europe to continue to be “open to the world, but with strategic autonomy”.
Therefore, the issue of dependencies of third countries will be the main theme of the informal summit on October 6, in Grenada, in a “geopolitical debate” on this matter, according to what Spanish diplomatic sources told Lusa.
This informal European Council will be preceded by a meeting of the European Political Community, the day before, which will discuss the eventual enlargement of the community bloc and the “ambitions of the countries that want to be inside,” reveals the Spanish diplomat sources.
Always at the international level, in addition to Latin America, the Mediterranean is another area of influence for Madrid in this European semester, since the capital will be focused on strengthening cooperation with southern countries, such as the Maghreb, in a relationship that “is complex and complicated, but it is the way to go”, that is, for migration management.
Spain assumes the presidency of the EU in the second half of 2023, from July 1 to December 31, in a period of great challenges for the Member States and for the Union as a whole.
Source: Observadora
