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Background

 

In May 2006, Vienna, Austria, will be the venue of the IV Summit Conference between the European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This meeting at the highest political level is of particular importance for the relations between the two regions.

Launched during the Rio de Janeiro Summit in 1999, these top-level bi-regional meetings have established a “strategic partnership” relation. The III Summit – held in Guadalajara, Mexico – outlined the major guidelines for this partnership, namely: the promotion of multilateralism at the level of international politics, and the development of an increasingly closer economic and cooperation relation between the two regions, based on the promotion of dynamic links among trade, regional integration and social cohesion.

For its part, the EU has made progress with an evaluation mechanism and has defined new strategic guidelines for inter-regional cooperation with LAC within the context of the reformulation of its external cooperation programme for the period 2007-2013.

Nevertheless, various factors have led to a climate of stalemate, or even setback, in bi-regional relations. For this reason, several experts have pointed to the need to overcome the obstacles hampering progress in the relations between the two regions in order to give them new impetus.

Bearing in mind this general context, the Permanent Secretariat of SELA will hold a meeting on the current status and the prospects for the EU-LAC relations at its headquarters on 13 and 14 March 2006. The meeting – which forms part of the mandate received from Member States upon the approval of the Annual Work Programme – responds to the recognition that it is necessary for SELA to contribute to the preparations and prior debates ahead of the IV Summit, and to follow up the commitments to be adopted at that event, particularly those concerning cooperation with a regional scope.

The main objective of this regional meeting, which will gather representatives from SELA’s Member States, is to promote the search for common positions in Latin America and the Caribbean for the dialogue with the European Union, including a variety of aspects relating to institutional strengthening for integration, overcoming asymmetries and reducing poverty – which are the major thematic pillars defined in Guadalajara for bi-regional relations.

 

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Provisional Work Programme 

 

Monday, 13 March

 

Morning

 

09:00 a.m. – 09:30 a.m.

        Registration

 

09:30 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.

        Openning Session

        Opening speech by the Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean

        Economic System, Ambassador Roberto Guarnieri.

 

10:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

        Break

 

10:30 a.m. – 11:130 a.m.

        Session I

        Moderator: Dr. Antonio Romero, Coordinator of Relations with Regional and Extra-regional

        Organizations, Permanent Secretariat of SELA

        Submission of the document “Current Status and prospects of economic relations between

        the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean

        *    Dr. Christian Ghymers, Chief Expert, European Commission

        *    Dr. Carlos Quenan, Professor, Institut des Hautes Etudes D´Amerique Latine,

        Sorbone University

  

 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 a.m. Debate

 

 

Afternoon

 

02:30 p.m. – 03:30 p.m.

        Session II

        Moderator: Dr. Wolf Grabendorff, Director of the Cooperation Program in Regional Security,

        “Friedrich Ebert” Foundation, Santiago, Chile.

        Remarks and proposals on the subject:

        Dr. Joaquín Roy, Director of the European Union Center, Miami University (USA).

        Dr. Jaime Preciado, Institute of Ibero-Latin American Studies,

        Guadalajara University (Mexico)

 

 03:30 p.m. – 03:50 p.m.

        Break

 

 03:50 p.m. – 05:00 p.m.

        Debate

 

 

Tuesday, 14 March

 

Morning

 

09:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

        Session III

        Moderator: Dr. Jaime Preciado, Institute of Ibero-Latin American Studies,

        Guadalajara University (Mexico).

        Remarks and proposals on the subject:

        *    Dr. Wolf Grabendorff, Director of the Cooperation Program in Regional Security,

        “Friedrich Ebert” Foundation, Santiago, Chile.

        *    Dr. Junior Lodge, Representative of the Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery

        (CRNM), Brussels.

 

 10:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

        Break

 

 10:45 a.m. – 12:30 a.m.

        Debate

 

 12:30 p.m. – 01:30 p.m.

        Discussion and approval of the Summary and Conclusions of the Meeting

 

 01:30 p.m.

        Cocktail

 

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Documents

 

Summary and Conclusions of the Regional Meeting on “Economic Relations between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean”

Caracas, Venezuela
13 and 14 March 2006
SP/ SP/RR-REUE-ALC/DF- 06
 

 

Current Status and Prospects of the Economic Relations between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean

Regional Meeting on “Economic Relations between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean”

Caracas, Venezuela

13 and 14 March. 2006

SP/RR-REUE-ALC/DT Nº 1 –06

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Contact Us

 

Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA)

 

http://www.sela.org

Coordination by SELA:

 

Dr. Antonio Romero, Coordinator of Relations with Regional and Extra-regional Organizations  and Mrs. Marta Vergara.
Telephones: 58-212-9557111 / 9557115 / 9557144;
Fax: 58-212-9515292 / 9516901;
e-mails: aromero@sela.org; mvergara@sela.org

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