The July summit between the European Union and the Community of Latin America and Caribbean States (Celac) in Brussels will not be just an appointment, for it has all the power to revive strengthened ties between Europe and Latinos. American. Spain is called upon to play a leading role by combining Ibero-American and European projections, just as Spain takes over the EU presidency in a new global geopolitical and geoeconomic scenario.

In personal endeavors, the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has placed Latin America at the center of the Union’s agenda. And the call of the Spanish Presidency in the second half is to promote a strategic alliance that will benefit both blocs and their peoples. Already at the 2021 Ceapi Congress, he announced that he would fight for the delivery of vaccines from Spain and the EU to Latam and to support financing through multilateral. Today, after 8 long years, the resumption of heads of state meetings is an important milestone.

On the international stage, old powers (US and EU), new powers (China, Russia, Japan and India) and newcomers (South Korea, the oil emirates of the Gulf and their sovereign wealth funds) aspire to gain. influential in Latin America. This is a young region, geostrategically well located and with an abundance of raw materials (lithium, copper, green hydrogen…), key to the IV Industrial Revolution. As EU High Representative Josep Borrell pointed out, Latin America is “underrated, undervalued” and “could be the new Persian Gulf (…) in a world that will go without hydrocarbons to tap into sustainable energy” .

In fact, Europe’s commitment to building a more sustainable and green economy to stop global warming requires Latam’s natural resources and renewable energy. In the production of electric cars, lithium is required in greater quantities, and 85% of this reserve is in the region. In addition, Europe’s strategy for maintaining planetary health involves supporting the conservation of the Amazon and Latin America, which have 40% of the world’s diversity and 33% of fresh water.

In this power struggle for Latin America, Spain in particular and Europe in general face huge challenges, but also opportunities and comparative advantages with respect to other players. Washington is a traditional power, but it is sunk on so many internal and external fronts that it does not adequately handle the situation of its neighbours. China has ostensibly increased its influence in the region in recent years, displacing Europe as a trading partner and challenging the US: China is already the number one trading partner for many countries, but lacks an intangible: 500 Euro-European years. Latin American tie. As the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain, José Manuel Albares, pointed out, “Latin America is the most Euro-compatible region in the world.”

The EU, Latam’s third largest trading partner, maintains valid trade agreements with 25 countries, a number that could increase to 29 if the EU-Mercosur agreement is finalized and is a major donor to cooperation. Latin America is the EU’s fifth largest trading partner. Based on these pillars, the possibility of the EU and Spain to form a strategic alliance with the region increases, as this Union-Celac Summit will prove. Latin America’s role is no longer as a passive actor and any relationship must come from a mutual agreement. Latin American countries have matured and acquired sufficient special weight to co-lead this project on an equal footing with Europeans.

A link to be forged in major political agreements as well as in the relaunch of investment, which already has a two-way profile. Europe is a major investor in the region and since the 2008 crisis, multilatinas have landed forcefully in Spain as a platform to project themselves across the EU.

The Brussels summit will show that Latin America is important to Spain but also have European projections beyond the Pyrenees as there is increased interest from other EU countries (Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy, in particular) and the rest of Europe (United Kingdom). ) to invest. And in this context, Spain, more than just a bridge, because of its dual role as a European and Ibero-American country, is a mechanism between the two blocs, the EU and CELAC. We have a great example in the project of creating more Ibero-Americans and combining efforts to promote greater Latin American-European ties: Royal Houses, Kings and Queens, for many of our Ibero-American counterparts, the institutions that unite us.

Spain can play a key role by articulating its own national interests (Ibero-American projections) with its membership in the EU in order to, from this dual condition, promote this process of strategic alliance. In this way, Latam, Spain and Europe gained status not only as commercial partners but also geostrategic partners in designing a world based on the values ​​of democracy and multilateralism.

The EU-Celac summit will take place at the right time: Europe has a desire to rebuild relations and financial capacities. “The European Union has an important and necessary instrument that can contribute to greater growth in Latam with more investment”, said the Ibero-American Secretary General, Andrés Allamand, for whom the Spanish Presidency should be the starting point for restarting the relationship. And Latin America is looking for allies in its journey towards development. Finally, both seek strategic autonomy from Beijing and Washington, which can only become a reality by rebuilding the Euro-Latin America strategic alliance.