Members of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) valued that the Latin American and Caribbean region can play a “crucial role” in dealing with the energy and food crises unleashed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (EuroEFE).–
The European-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly of the EU is an international body made up of 150 parliamentarians from European and Latin American countries. It was created to improve and promote relations between Latin America and Europe.
“For both crises, we analyze that Latin America has a crucial role to play in resolving them”, both the energy and food security, highlights the co-chair of EuroLat, Javi López, president of the European Parliament Delegation in that assembly,
Latin America is “a producer of clean energy and gas; it could be a better partner for Europe”, added the co-chairman of EuroLat Oscar Darío Pérez, responsible for the Latin American component.
López and Pérez highlighted a declaration approved by the co-chair against the war in Ukraine, something that could not be achieved at the level of the plenary session that was held in April in Buenos Aires due to differences between Latin American members. López recalled that resolutions can only be approved in plenary, so “what we can do is what we have done. A declaration by the co-chairs” that is built from the “consensus” and is approved with the support of the members of the tables, which are “representative” of the assembly as a whole.
He explained that the declaration condemns Russia and contains a “factual mention” that Latin America is the region of the world that is voting the most in the UN with the position of the Europeans on the war in Ukraine, “more than Africa, more than Asia ”, he commented.
Pérez recognized the “different visions” in Latin America and affirmed that the document approved by the co-chairs, “although it is not full consensus, it is the maximum possible” that they have been able to achieve “with the great majorities.” He also recalled that “the majority of Latin America has firmly condemned the aggression” of Russia against Ukraine, and that “only three Latin American countries have voted against” the United Nations resolution in favor of Ukrainian integrity.
“More than 90% of Latin America decisively supports this UN resolution and consequently supports this declaration of the presidents,” said Pérez.
López acknowledged that, in recent years, Latin America has not been as present in the EU’s foreign relations, “more focused on neighboring conflicts or internal crises”, but stressed that now “the circumstances exist and the context” to deepen the relationship. The war in Ukraine “forces us Europeans to think more strategically, to push relations,” he said, and alluded to the current presidency of the EU that Spain will assume in June 2023, as well as the “sensitivity ” of the high community representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, with the region.
On the other hand, he urged to ratify the modernization of the association agreements with Chile and Mexico, and to continue working on that of Mercosur (Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay).“But for that we need time, political capital and that we do it on both sides of the Atlantic,” he pointed out.
López hoped that, after eight years, a new summit of EU-CELAC (Community of Latin American and Caribbean States) leaders could be held in July and put political relations on a par with economic relations between the two regions, since the Union Europea is the main investor in Latin America and its second largest trading partner.
“In addition to being a third of the UN, we are more than 20% of the world’s GDP,” Pérez said of the two regions.As he indicated, both the pandemic and the Russian war in Ukraine have made them come to the conclusion of the importance of “bringing these two continents closer, that we have so much in common.””I feel that there is a new era, a new environment, that the consequences have led us to it,” Pérez emphasized about the opportunity that is presented to strengthen relationships.
Roberta Metsolas perspective
the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, asked to be “honest” and recognize that relations between the EU and Latin America have not advanced “as much as they should” in the last two decades.
«In 1999, when our strategic partnership was agreed in Rio (de Janeiro, Brazil) relations between Latin America, the Caribbean and the EU were strong and ready to increase. Let’s be honest with ourselves, in 23 years we have not made as much progress as we should,” Metsola said before the Assembly.
If they haven’t moved on, she said, it’s “because we took our friendship for granted, we look the other way, we use other excuses not to talk.”But even so, there are “strong ties” between the EU and Latin America who unite “many things across the Atlantic,” added the president of the European Parliament.
“Together, we look at how to address a large number of current global challenges. We may have different visions on some issues, but globally we have much more in common,” Metsola said.
In this sense, she recalled that both regions have a third of the votes of the United Nations General Assembly that they must use, after the war in Ukraine, to “work hand in hand on the international scene to defend the values on which they are based our democracies.
Metsola also opted to “finalize” the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, to sign and ratify the new trade agreement between the EU and Mexico and to conclude the modernization of the agreement with Chile.