CELAC-EU summit: agreement only on economic issues
At the third CELAC-EU summit in Brussels, heads of state and government from the EU, Latin America and the Caribbean agreed to step up cooperation, with a particular focus on the extraction and processing of raw materials and the fight against climate change. There was, however, no joint declaration condemning Russia's war against Ukraine. Commentators take stock.
Towards a multipolar world
La Vanguardia stresses the cross-regional scope of the agreement:
“The final declaration of the summit was a long forceps delivery. ... For eight years, the two regions had turned their backs on each other. Now this meeting under the auspices of the Spanish EU Council presidency has made it clear that both sides are not only natural partners but also partners by choice. ... Europe and the CELAC countries understand that launching a strategic alliance is the best way to strengthen a multipolar world and avoid direct confrontation between the United States and China.”
A little more humility please!
The Salzburger Nachrichten criticises the EU's moral arrogance regarding the draft Mercosur agreement:
“The Europeans want to top it off afterwards with a - non-binding - commitment to protect the Amazon rainforest. The South Americans feel they are being arrogantly lectured to. ... Imbalance is a hallmark of the Mercosur draft. It emphasises South America's role as an eternal supplier of raw materials, especially for the food industry. In return, the Mercosur inhabitants can look forward to more German cars and machines, cheaper agricultural chemicals, biscuits, canned peaches and soft drinks - products that are less known for their exemplary CO2 balance. A little humility and self-criticism would do the EU powers good.”
Too many participants and different opinions
Večernji list describes the problems of formulating joint summit declarations:
“If finding a common position for the 27 member states of the EU already seems impossible at meetings where a consensus is needed, and each of the 27 participants can block a decision because they don't like a sentence in the final text, what can be said about the final declaration of the EU-CELAC summit, which applies for 27 EU and 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries? Only this: the EU-CELAC summit failed to produce a joint final declaration on several issues, most notably the Russian attack on Ukraine and slavery in colonial times.”