This is a 52-point statement designed to suit every taste. It was an inevitable gamble. Obvious diplomatic maneuvering was required to get 58 countries on two continents to agree. Although Venezuela and Nicaragua decided not to sign at the last minute, the overall result was better than expected. The fourth summit between the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) and the European Union (EU) ended with calls for stronger multilateralism, criticism of US policy on drug trafficking in the Caribbean, advocacy for “free and transparent elections” without mentioning Venezuela, references to the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, and calls for global “trade tensions”, namely President Trump’s reduction of tariffs.
“58 countries managed to reach an agreement through dialogue. This declaration shows the importance of multilateral dialogue,” European Council President Antonio Costa said. Organizer President Gustavo Petro championed the idea. “The first message is that we are deepening multilateralism with a view to building common solutions. On these 52 points, we show that it is possible to agree on our differences,” he said while presenting the document. Uruguay’s next president tentative CELAC, through Prime Minister Mario Lubetkin, is working to develop a roadmap that would allow the key points of the agreement to be advanced “in concrete terms rather than just statements.”
President Trump’s shadow loomed over the entire summit meeting. The missile attacks that Republicans have been launching for two months against boats they accuse of transporting drugs deserve special mention in the document. “We are committed to the importance of maritime security and regional stability in the Caribbean,” the document says, without naming the United States. Although President Trump was not there, he did attend a chapter on trade, in which the blocs advocate “an open, transparent, inclusive, nondiscriminatory, predictable, rules-based multilateral system based on international law, with the World Trade Organization (WTO) at its core.” The text talks about “trade friction” and the need to alleviate it to “facilitate international trade and improve access to markets.”
The environmental chapter also contained a message to the White House. If President Trump denies climate change, he called on the EU and CELAC countries to recognize “the need for deep, rapid and sustained reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.”
The blocs also called for reform of the UN Security Council to “make it more representative,” a long-standing aspiration of Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy. There were also references to the Gaza war in support of the two-state solution and “deep implications for the ongoing war with Ukraine, which continues to cause untold human suffering.” In a chapter dedicated to immigration, the blocs made reference to President Trump’s deportation policies and agreed to “strengthen administrative cooperation, including on the repatriation process.”
Although the declaration does not name any countries, it is clear that it intends to make black and white in countries considered to be in conflict, such as Venezuela and Nicaragua. “We reiterate our unwavering commitment to democracy, including free, inclusive, transparent and credible elections,” the statement said.
Lula took a particularly harsh stance on the situation in the region. “Latin America and the Caribbean are facing a serious crisis in their integration project. We are once again a divided and fragmented region, focused more on the outside than on the inside. We are once again under threat from political extremism, information operations and organized crime. As a result, we live from meeting to meeting, full of ideas and initiatives that do not materialize. In the absence of key regional leaders, our summits have become empty rituals,” said the Brazilian.
It was Lula’s shot from high for those who made a mistake this Sunday. In Latin America, the only two presidents that mattered were the organizer, Gustavo Petro, and Lula himself. Countries such as Argentina, Paraguay, El Salvador and Peru either sent very low-level delegations or, like Ecuador, were absent altogether. Mexico, Chile and Uruguay were represented by their foreign ministers. On the European side, the absence of chairwoman Ursula von der Leyen was the biggest blow to the organization. The most relevant figure was Costa of the Council, Spanish President Pedro Sánchez. Luis Montenegro, Prime Minister of Portugal. and Dutchman Dick Schuch.
Despite everything, the final document exceeded the organizers’ expectations. In any case, this meeting also sent a political message. Antonio Costa had already warned of this as co-organizer at the beginning of the summit. “Despite the fact that we have countries here with very different ideological orientations, we have managed to maintain a common position on the most important issues of the moment,” he said.
Mr. Pedro Sánchez has been working with Mr. Lula to support the success of the summit. Both believe now is the time to strengthen bilateral alliances between the blocs that serve as a bulwark against President Trump’s policies. Far-right forces are also gaining momentum in countries such as Argentina, led by Javier Millei, and Chile, where opinion polls give Republican candidate José Antonio Casto a strong chance of winning next Sunday’s first round of presidential elections. In Bolivia, the collapse of Evo Morales’ Movement for Socialism (MAS) left the left with no viable alternative after two decades of hegemony. And Venezuela has long since ceased to be a regional reference for so-called “21st century socialism.”
In this fragmented scenario, tackling multilateralism will be a major challenge. “Two years ago, the EU-CELAC summit was a political priority, but today it has become a geopolitical imperative,” Sanchez said, referring to an event that brought together most of the top regional leaders from both blocs in Brussels in 2023. “The challenges we face, including violations of international law in Gaza and Ukraine, attacks on free trade and the weakening of global governance, affect us all. Europe and Latin America can and must be a beacon of stability, prosperity and openness in these uncertain and risk-filled times,” the Spanish president said.
The idea of a lighthouse came up again and again. In addition to Sanchez, Petro also used it in the opening game. Costa spoke of sending a “signal” from Santa Marta. Everything will be very harmonious for the summit to be held on the shores of the Caribbean Sea.
About The Author
