Marianne Van Steen | The EU, the Caribbean and LatAm – More unites us than separates us

Heads of state and government of 60 countries: 27 from the European Union, and 33 from the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), met in Brussels July 17-18. The last time they did so was in 2015, eight years ago. The summit brought together the leaders of two regions representing more than one billion people (14 per cent of the world’s population), one third of the United Nations membership, and 21 per cent of global GDP.

The fact that they met is a success in itself. Fifty out of the 60 leaders travelled to Brussels to meet in plenary format, in groups (there was a specific meeting bringing together the EU leaders with the leaders of the Caribbean countries) and bilaterally (for example, Prime Minister Andrew Holness met with Emmanuel Macron, the French president. That they managed to adopt a joint declaration, with only one country (Nicaragua), opting out because of its disagreement with one paragraph, is an even bigger success. This declaration signals a clear determination to work together to face persistent and aggravating challenges, such as food insecurity, poverty, inequality, inflation, climate change, environmental degradation, human rights abuses, and more. The countries also committed to unite forces in multilateral fora.

IMPETUS

The impetus for the summit was the acknowledgement that in a changing global world, we are much stronger together. And indeed, the world has changed dramatically since 2015; there was Brexit, migration waves, a pandemic, an aggressive invasion in an EU neighbouring country, bringing back war to the European continent. There have also been huge political changes on both sides of the Atlantic, increasing new global threats of disinformation, cybercrime, potential challenges with artificial intelligence (AI), and the intensification of natural disasters caused by our changing climate. Countries realised that, even if politically heterogeneous, the need for collaboration is greater now than ever. Perhaps the ‘inclusiveness’ of this summit proved to be its recipe for success.

There has been a lot of criticism, including self-criticism, about the eight-year gap between this year’s summit and the previous one. But the pressing global challenges we face today, do not allow either of the regions to be inward looking. The European Union has learnt that it cannot take the Latin American and Caribbean countries’ support for granted any more, and that we should not only talk, but listen more. On the other hand, the added value of keeping good relations with like-minded countries on the European continent was also well appreciated by CELAC. The summit was a wake-up call, confirming that despite our differences, we can and should work together to address those problems that we cannot solve on our own.

Another striking feature of this summit is that, never before, had it attracted so much interest, with some countries, beyond the 60 invited ones, trying to influence or criticise the outcome. While this shows that the world has become a village and nothing happens in closed meeting rooms anymore, it also proves that the European Union and CELAC, when speaking out together, have become a force to be reckoned with.

Apart from meeting and agreeing on a number of important issues in the joint declaration, the most tangible result was the strong commitment from both sides not to let another eight years to go by before the next meeting. A bi-regional road map 2023-2025 was agreed and a consultative coordination instance will be set up, guaranteeing close contacts in-between summits and accompanying both ministerial and leaders’ meetings on a regular basis. The date of the next Summit of Heads of State and Government was also agreed, and will take place in Colombia in 2025.

Huge investment

A digital alliance between the European Union with 20 out of the 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries, including Jamaica, was set up. Additionally, the European side announced a huge investment package, the ‘Global Gateway Investment Agenda’, demonstrating that our renewed engagement is not only about words, albeit important, but genuinely seeks to support a fair, digital, and green transition in this part of the world.

The summit has shown that the EU and CELAC countries who have been ‘natural partners’, based on shared values, interests, and strong economic, social, and cultural ties can and have become ‘partners of choice’ determined to work together to address the challenges of our time.

Marianne Van Steen is ambassador, Delegation of the European Union to Jamaica, Belize, The Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, and The Cayman Islands. Send feedback and comments to delegation-jamaica@eeas.europa.eu.