The Fourth Summit between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU) begins on Sunday with the aim of establishing the framework for cooperation between the two blocs.
During the meeting, which continues through tomorrow, Monday, at the Santamar Convention Center, common bi-regional problems will be reviewed, requiring a roadmap and a coordinated approach vital to achieving concrete results.
According to Colombian Foreign Minister Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, the meeting represents a commitment to consolidating relations with strategic partners, allowing societies to advance through the diversification of ties and providing an opportunity to find allies with whom horizontal dialogue is possible.
She further emphasized that the final declaration, for which there was extensive prior political dialogue, will address the defense of democratic values, multilateralism, shared projects with an emphasis on energy transitions, and the recognition of the importance of bi-regional cooperation.
The Colombian foreign minister stressed that the IV CELAC-EU Summit, which is being attended by delegations from 62 countries, represents an opportunity to strengthen integration, promote sustainable development, and project a common voice on the global stage.
Among the high-level guests are the President of the European Council, António Costa; the President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; and the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez.
The meeting is focusing on the Triple Transition—energy, digital, and environmental—aimed at generating real solutions to climate change, technological gaps, and production challenges.
Among its objectives are the consolidation of multilateralism, effective cooperation, and the creation of a two-year bi-regional roadmap with concrete projects in areas such as renewable energy, inclusive digitalization, ecosystem protection, health innovation, agroecology, biotechnology, and human mobility.
The issues to be addressed include promoting decarbonization, regional electricity interconnection with EU cooperation, inclusive digitalization to close technological gaps and boost productive transformation, climate finance, and the protection of strategic ecosystems.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that discussions are covering cooperation on climate adaptation and disaster risk mitigation, reducing dependence on pharmaceutical imports, as well as initiatives for technology transfer in health, the promotion of agroecological models and sustainable value chains, among other topics.
The CELAC, whose pro tempore presidency is held by Colombia, is an intergovernmental mechanism for dialogue and political agreement made up of 33 countries, which works on the basis of consensus and by virtue of the convergence of common actions and interests.
[ SOURCE: AGENCIA CUBANA DE NOTICIAS ]
