Welcome
Latin America and the Caribbean – a key region for a stronger partnership with Europe
Foreign Minister Wadephul at the EU-CELAC summit in Santa Marta, Colombia © Photothek Media Lab
Foreign Minister Wadephul is travelling to Colombia this weekend for the EU-CELAC summit, which brings together the states of Latin America and the Caribbean and those of the European Union.
The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) was founded in 2011, and all 33 countries in the region – with a total population of over 600 million people – are members. Latin America and the Caribbean are an important key region for us, with major potential for the future. We therefore want to deepen our cooperation on the basis of shared interests as well as shared values like democracy and commitment to the rules-based international order.
Foreign Minister Wadephul stated prior to his departure:
We already have strong partnerships today with many countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. I would like to continue down this road and take decisive action to further expand our relations. An important opportunity to take further steps is the meeting between the states of the EU and of Latin America and the Caribbean at the EU-CELAC summit in Colombia.
There is major potential not least when it comes to closer economic cooperation.
Currently the EU is the region’s third-largest trading partner, with trade worth almost 370 billion US dollars and continuing to grow. The EU is also leading the way in foreign direct investments in Latin America and the Caribbean, having invested 741 billion euro.
We want to build on this foundation to expand our trade and business ties.
Foreign Minister Wadephul stated:
From diversifying our supply chains to cooperating on the extraction and processing of important raw materials, from digital technologies to skilled workers, our possibilities for cooperation are enormous – we simply need to seize and utilise them.
At the meeting with the CELAC states, Foreign Minister Wadephul will reiterate Germany’s considerable interest in closer cooperation in the economic sphere.
The focus of the meeting will also be on advancing new trade agreements and strengthening existing partnerships. This includes in particular the free trade agreement with the Mercosur states as well as arrangements with Chile, Mexico and other partners in the region.
Foreign Minister Wadephul further stated:
These agreements strengthen our partnerships, strengthen our supply chains and our resilience, and can serve as major catalysts of growth for our economies.
As well as economic cooperation, there will be a focus on efforts to foster peace and security. Germany is currently working with the states of Latin America and the Caribbean to fight organised crime, and also provides support for addressing the crisis in Haiti and for the peace process in Colombia, for example.