Speech by President of the Government at the first work session of the European Union-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CLACS) Summit

Brussels (Belgium)

Ladies and gentlemen, Heads of State and Government, Heads of Delegation,

We belong to the two regions of the world that share the most values in common. Common principles, regardless of changing political circumstances, guide our societies based on respect for the individual, human rights, democratic systems and the market economy.

The emergence and strengthening of the CLACS as a structured block is good news. The Santiago Summit laid the groundwork for a new era in bi-regional relations, on a level playing field, raising their profile and more precisely defining our shared objectives.

We already cooperate in numerous areas but there is a great deal of room for boosting our relations, modernising their agenda and seeking areas of greater convergence in global affairs. And all this in the best interests of our citizens, whose well-being must steer our political action.

The world in which we live is advancing down a path of gradual integration. There are those who would try and delay this process but they face an unstoppable force. We have made significant progress together, but we still have a lot of work to do. To give new momentum to bi-regional relations, we must perfect our network of partnership agreements. We need to see a successful conclusion of negotiations with MERCOSUR - for which we need strategic vision and political will - and we need to update and further develop the Partnership Agreements with Chile and Mexico, as well as sign an Agreement with Ecuador.

A number of negotiation processes are currently moving along this line of integration and free trade, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The European Union is the second-largest trade partner and the leading foreign investor in the CLACS regions. We must also make an effort to attract more investment in Europe from our American partners and generate innovative cooperation formulas capable of overcoming traditional approaches to this topic. Relations between the CLACS and the European Union must be two-way relations in which mutual benefits are gained by all.

Key political processes are currently taking place in Latin America. This is the case of the Peace Process in Colombia. The Government of Colombia and the people of that country have an historic opportunity to end a conflict that has lasted too long, and must have our firm and decisive support. Furthermore, the current negotiations for an agreement between the European Union and Cuba represent a turning point of far-reaching significance within the context of updating relations between Cuba and the rest of the world.

Our work at these summits must define objectives and produce visible results in order for people to understand the effects on their everyday lives. In this regard, I would like to highlight the visa exemption agreements; both those already concluded with various Caribbean countries and those that will be approved at this summit with Colombia and Peru. Furthermore, we must continue our efforts to build a common education space. Investing in education means investing in our future.

We must also further develop our political dialogue and our ability to reach agreements in the face of such global challenges as the fight against climate change, the Agenda for Development post-2015 and the fight against organised crime.

In short, our partnership is an ongoing process and today, and in the two years that remain until the next summit, we will have the opportunity to revitalise and strengthen that partnership in the best interests of our citizens.