Latin America and the Caribbean is a crucial partner of the European Union, and this is why the European Parliament will vote tomorrow on a report which calls for further strengthening of our co-operation with the region.
 
S&D MEP Javi López, who is the author of the report, said:

“The goal of this report is to reorient the relations of the EU with a key actor with whom we share values, cultural ties, and political and economic challenges. It calls for strengthening the relations between both continents within a new global scenario marked by the radical change of the US foreign policy. Both regions constitute a community of interests, defending open societies, norms and dialogue to command international relations and the common agenda with Latin America.
 
“The EU therefore seizes a historic opportunity to establish a real dialogue and a close, equal-to-equal collaboration that supports the continued defence of multilateralism, gender equality, inclusive growth, the protection of vulnerable communities, and the fight against climate change in the international scene.
 
“We already have a set of instruments that must be updated in the coming months; such as the EU-Mexico Global Agreement and the EU-Chile Association Agreement. We should also add the upcoming closing of the EU-Mercosur Association Agreement. All this provides an opportunity to boost economies on both sides of the Atlantic, to bring rules to globalisation and to ensure that its benefits are fairly shared. Lastly, the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Cuba achieved at the beginning of the year is one more step towards consolidating EU ‘s role as an effective partner in the global scene.”