Lula da Silva – von der Leyen – Sanchez – Photo © European Union 2023
(BRUSSELS) – Cooperation on energy and digital matters were the focus for the European Union’s two-day summit with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean states (CELAC) which ended on Tuesday.
The meeting gathered Heads of State and Government of the EU Member States and of the 33 CELAC states for the first time in eight years.
At a meeting with an EU-LAC Business round table, the EU presented an ‘EU-LAC Global Gateway Investment Agenda (GGIA), which includes more than 135 projects to make the fair green and digital transition a reality on both sides of the Atlantic and revolves around four pillars: a fair green transition, an inclusive digital transformation, human development and health resilience and vaccines.
UR 45 billion to support the reinforced partnership with Latin America and the Caribbean until 2027. The summit further strengthened the partnership between the EU and the CELAC countries on shared priorities, such as the digital and green transitions, the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss, health, food security, migration, security and governance or the fight against transnational crime.
During the summit, the EU stepped up its energy cooperation with Argentina and Uruguay with the signature of two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU). The former sets out key areas of cooperation, including renewable energy, hydrogen, methane emissions abatement and stresses the need to provide a socially just energy transition. The latter highlights renewable energy, energy efficiency and renewable hydrogen as key areas of cooperation as both the EU and Uruguay strive to reach climate neutrality by 2050.
The EU also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chile on establishing a partnership on sustainable raw materials value chains, which will contribute to Europe’s security of supply while creating jobs and growth in Chile.
In the digital domain, the EU and Argentina, The Bahamas, Barbados, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay agreed to deepen their partnership by establishing an EULAC Digital Alliance. It provides a framework for cooperation on digital matters for the benefit of the citizens of both regions and reasserts the commitment to the digital transition. On the margins of the Summit, the High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell signed, on behalf of the EU, three Memorandums of Understanding on bilateral consultations with Honduras, El Salvador and Ecuador, providing frameworks for deepening cooperation efforts and engaging in dialogue on common agendas.
To respond to the unprecedented increase in humanitarian needs in Haiti, the EU also announced the release of an emergency funding of 10 million. It will enable humanitarian organisations to step up the response and tackle the most urgent needs, primarily focusing on food and nutrition.
Commission presents Global Gateway Investment Agenda with Latin America and Caribbean
EU-CELAC Summit: EU and Argentina step up cooperation on clean energy transition and energy security
Haiti: EU releases 10 million to tackle unprecedented humanitarian crisis
Honduras: Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral consultations with the EU signed in Brussels
El Salvador: Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral consultations with the EU signed in Brussels
Ecuador: Signature of Memorandum of Understanding for stronger bilateral relations with the EU
Brazil: EIB lends 300 million to Banco Santander Brasil for small-scale solar energy investments
