Pedro Sánchez, at the EU-CELAC summit: "Europe and Latin America must be beacons of stability, prosperity and openness"

Santa Marta (Colombia)

Pedro Sánchez attended the CELAC-EU Summit held in Santa Marta (Colombia) (Fernando Calvo)

The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, has taken part in the IV EU-CELAC Summit being held under the Colombian presidency. In his speech at the plenary session, the President of the Government highlighted the value of the meeting, stressing that during the Spanish presidency of the EU in 2023, Spain relaunched meetings between the two regions and the strategic alliance, which he described as a "geostrategic imperative" in the current geopolitical context: "Europe and Latin America can and must be a beacon of stability, prosperity and openness," he said.

Defending multilateralism in the face of the weakening of global governance, the President of the Government indicated that only an international system based on rules can respond to major transnational challenges such as the climate emergency, organised crime, artificial intelligence and tax justice.

Moreover, he added, because of Latin America's commitment to multilateralism, equality and justice, Spain believes that the next Secretary General of the United Nations should be a woman and a Latin American.

Group photo of the attendees at the CELAC-EU Summit held in Santa Marta (Colombia) | Pool Moncloa/Fernando Calvo

On trade, President Pedro Sánchez emphasised Spain's favourable position on approving the agreement with Mercosur before the end of the year, as well as his desire to deepen relations with Mexico by modernising the Global Agreement signed between the two countries.

With regard to investments, he highlighted Spain's leadership as the first investor in Latin America, contributing €9.4 billion to the Global Gateway Agenda, of which €5.3 billion have already been mobilised for operations in the region and projects in connectivity, green and digital transition, health, and sustainable infrastructures. He also highlighted the links that unite the two regions, emphasising in particular the pillars of relations between Spain and Latin America and the Caribbean, based on common history, social ties and language.

Non official translation