Damos la bienvenida a nuestra Columnista Christine Stevens, Embajadora del Reino de Bélgica especializada en las relaciones barregionales CELAC-UE. En este artículo, ella analiza la relación CELAC-UE bajo la luz de la última Cumbre realizada en Bruselas. La transformación del Grupo de Río en la CELAC, su nacimiento, la relevancia de Venezuela así como de Cuba en dicho proceso, la inclusión de protagonistas y temas en esta relación que es cada vez más inclusiva.
CELAC (Comunidad de los Estados Americanos y del Caribe) was created in 2011 in Caracas (Venezuela) impelled by former President Luis Inácio da Silva of Brazil and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, associating the member countries of the Rio Group. The Habana CELAC meeting of 2014 was a diplomatic and political success for Cuba, the first rotating presidency of the group. The Costa Rica CELAC Summit in January 2015 was attended by the EU HR/VP Frederica Mogherini who stressed the necessity to strengthen the EU-CELAC relationship.
The European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean (EU-LAC) have held summits on a regular basis since de first bi-regional EU-LAC Summit of Rio de Janeiro in 1999, where the bi-regional strategic partnership was established.
The first EU-CELAC Summit took place in Santiago in 2013. The final declaration of the Summit reaffirmed the basic principles of CELAC on the promotion of social, cultural, political and economic integration between the countries of the region, with an added emphasis on its commitment to ensure peace in the area through dialogue and negotiation.
At the last EU-LAC Summit in Madrid in 2010, the civil society advocated a change in the global economic model. The Santiago I EU-CELAC Summit in 2013, with a fully-fledged CELAC, social and economic issues were high on the agenda whilst the civil society took part in the proceedings in the form of a Business Summit, the first Academic Forum and various parallel events. The Brussels II EU-CELAC 2015 Summit focused on bi-regional and global issues. It was an opportunity to underline the importance of EU-CELAC cooperation and to re-invigorate the relationship in a complex, rapidly changing world.
The Business, Academic and Civil Society Forums held events around the EU-CELAC Summit. During the Civil Society Forum of 19th March 2015 in Brussels, the EU HR/VP Frederica Mogherini underlined the strength of the natural links between the Civil Society and the EU-CELAC partnership which constituted its reason for being and its cornerstone.
In the expanded Plan of Action agreed upon at the Brussels Summit, attention was drawn to the study of cooperation between the two regions along certain significant lines. The EU and CELAC consider now that sustainable development and climate change to be the central pillars of their relationship, in light of the theme of the Brussels June Summit, “Shaping our common future : working for prosperous, cohesive and sustainable societies for our citizens”. Two new chapters were added to the Plan of Action : Higher Education and Citizen Security.
Meanwhile, CELAC is developing relations with extra-regional partners, i.e. India, China, ROK, the Russian Federation, ASEAN, the Council of the Arab States of the Gulf. However the dialogue seems to be in limbo, most of these extra- regional powers do not share exactly the same views on the suggested partnership.
Reaching the goals defined by EU and CELAC is a bi-regional challenge in the context of what is known as the end of the cold war and since the economic and financial crisis of 2008. The international context has changed and the centers of power are rearranged, creating new alliances around the globe.
What does the future hold ?
Since the first EU-LAC Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1999, the EU and the LAC countries, which became the CELAC, have both worked on the development of a true strategic partnership. The EU is now CELAC’s most structured partner and the leading foreign investor in the region.
China who has just signed massive financing deals in the region is looming as a formidable competitor in the South American continent.
There is a crucial need to defend the partnership and friendship between the two regions on the long term, as EU HR/VP Frederica Mogherini pointed out on various occasions. The prominence which the EU-CELAC relationship has taken over the years is clearly illustrated by the number of meetings and summits which took in the run-up to and in the margin of the June 2015 EU-CELAC Summit in Brussels. The interest and confidence in this partnership is revealed by the forums organized by the business community, the academic world, various aspects of the civil society as this article wishes to emphasize.
CELAC has grown and developed since 2011 and has become a relevant partner for the EU, although declarations of good intentions are not always followed by specific and substantial action. EU investments are still considerable in the CELAC regions, surpassing those of the EU in Russia, India and China combined.
On the economic front, according to the IMF, the CELAC economy will dip 1 % in 2015 after a disappointing 2014 with a growth of 1,4%. However, managing natural resources correctly is essential for the CELAC region’s economy, if not, their very source of comparative advantage will dwindle translating into lost growth, lost elections and lost opportunities. Hopefully, the IMF’s analysis which appears all doom and gloom will not materialize, and developments of this year’s economy will be more positive than the dire predictions.
To conclude, the stage is set to reinforce the relationship between the two regions and increase mutual efforts to attain the defined goals as there is already a common history based on shared values. Moreover in a rapidly changing multipolar world where new and various centers of power have immerged, the EU-CELAC relationship takes on a new meaning However, the economic development of the next few months will have a strong impact on the partnership as there are other players in the game.
