I am honoured to be speaking before such a distinguished audience, and I am pleased, as always, to be able to talk about the European Union and its relations with Latin America and the Caribbean. The relations of the European Union with Latin America and the Caribbean remain as strong as ever: inspired by shared values; rooted in a common history and culture; and inextricably bound together by human and economic exchange. To cite Mexico’s most celebrated novelist, Carlos Fuentes, “América Latina es lo mejor de Europa fuera de Europa”; “Latin America is the best of Europe outside Europe.” A similar sentiment is echoed by Nobel Prize-winning Caribbean poet Derek Walcott, whose epic odyssey ‘Omeros’ takes the reader on a journey from his native Saint Lucia to the winding streets of London, Lisbon, Dublin and Rome: “I needed to become omnivorous about the art and literature of Europe to understand my own world.” Today, I shall be speaking to you about the European Union, its origins, its aspirations and its accomplishments; as well as its relations with Latin America and the Caribbean, a relationship that goes well beyond trade and development. Our regions share common values, among them democracy and respect for human rights, as well as global responsibilities, such as international security and climate change, where we both recognise that the benefits of working together by far exceed what we could ever hope to accomplish unilaterally.
The European Union: its origins, aspirations and accomplishments
The origins of the European Union
The idea of a united Europe emerged from the ruins of two world wars. Then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman conceived the European Coal and Steel Community, premised on the firm belief that binding states together in the production of coal and steel, the two elements necessary to manufacture weapons of war, would “make war not only unthinkable but also materially impossible”. Much has been accomplished since then. The original six members have been joined by 22 others, over successive waves of enlargement, the largest of which brought the countries formerly hidden behind the Iron Curtain into the EU fold. Many other countries are waiting to join; which encourages us to believe that the prospect of European Union membership remains a powerful incentive for countries to embrace sweeping political and economic reforms. We have also moved from a limited community focused only on the production of coal and steel, to a closely integrated union of states, sharing a single market of 503 million consumers, a common foreign and security policy through which we speak with one voice on the world stage, and a common body of laws which allow us to guarantee the highest standards of consumer, environmental and human rights protection. What is more, another European war has become unthinkable. France and Germany, whose rivalry marked centuries of European history, are now the closest of allies. The image of President Hollande and Chancellor Merkel marching side by side through the streets of Paris says it all.
Because of its commitment to peace within and beyond its borders the European Union was honoured in 2012 with the Nobel Peace Prize by a unanimous decision of the Norwegian Nobel Committee for having “contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe”.
A single market of 503 million people
One of the European Union’s greatest achievements is undoubtedly the creation of the single European market, which has enabled individuals, consumers and businesses to benefit from the opportunities provided to them by direct access to a market of 28 countries and 503 million people. The single market is founded on what are often called the ‘four freedoms’: the freedom of movement of people, goods, services and capital.
In practice, this means that individuals have the right to live, work, study or retire in another country. For consumers it means increased competition leading to lower prices, a wider choice of things to buy, and higher levels of protection. And for businesses, it means that it is now much easier and cheaper to do business across borders.
In many cases, various individual sets of national rules have been replaced by a common European rule, thus significantly reducing the complexity and costs involved in marketing a new product throughout the Union, while, in other areas, the Member States opted to give each other’s laws and technical standards the same validity as their own. The European Union is committed to opening up this market of 503 million consumers to Latin American and Caribbean businesses, which benefit from tariff preferences and customs duty exemptions as a result of the European Union’s generalized system of preferences. Moreover, CARIFORUM exporters benefit from an Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union, the first such agreement ever signed by the EU, which removes all tariffs and quotas on Caribbean exports to the EU. While long-standing export relationships already exist with countries like Spain and the United Kingdom, the European Union wishes to see Latin American and Caribbean products being marketed in a wider range of European countries. This is one reason why we have set up an easy-to-use online Export HelpDesk, which provides businesses with the information they need to access the single European market.
The challenges of a single currency as a case for “more Europe”
On 1st January 2015, Lithuania became the nineteenth member to adopt the euro as its currency. As Mario Draghi, the President of the European Central Bank, told a Lithuanian audience last year, “The way in which Lithuania has striven to become part of the euro area shows that our common currency is attractive – despite the difficulties experienced in some member countries.” Paradoxically for the Eurozone’s critics, it is clear that these difficulties were the result of incomplete integration, of “too little Europe”, of a Eurozone lacking a united front. This realization has provided European leaders with a strong impetus to integrate even further. Provisions have been made to grant emergency loans, or bail-outs, to member states in serious trouble, provided that they deliver significant economic reforms. Under new rules, the European Commission, which is the European Union’s civil service, has gained the right to verify that Eurozone countries’ national budgets comply with EU rules, and may demand changes if they do not. And the European Central Bank has pledged to do “whatever it takes”, in the unforgettable words of its President, to protect the Eurozone from collapse. Given this unrelenting commitment to nursing the Eurozone back to health, I am optimistic about Europe’s economic recovery.
A global leader in environmental policy
An undisputed feather in the European Union’s cap is its avant-garde environmental policy. The European Union is considered to have the most extensive environmental laws of any existing international organisation. According to the Institute for European Environmental Policy, the corpus of EU environmental law currently amounts to over 500 pieces of legislation covering acid rain, the thinning of the ozone layer, air quality, noise pollution, waste and water pollution. The European Union also plays an influential role in international environmental negotiations: it participates as an observer in international environmental negotiations within the United Nations framework. Moreover, since it enjoys full international legal personality, the European Union has become a full party to all the major multilateral environmental agreements.
In particular, the European Union strives to provide leadership in the fight against global climate change. As the newly appointed European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy recently told the European Parliament: “we are called to lead on climate action and show the world that a better climate and economic growth go hand in hand”. Last October, EU Member States bound themselves to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40% and achieve 27% renewable energy use on a European level, both by 2030. The EU’s leadership role is also evident in international negotiations on climate change. The EU was instrumental in the development of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol, and continues to act as a driving force for a new post-Kyoto global climate change agreement. The sheer extent of the EU’s commitment to the fight against climate change is also evidenced by its consistent provision of climate finance to developing countries, amounting to just over €7.3 billion in “fast start” financing between 2010 and 2012 alone. It is with this same heavy sense of responsibility that the European Union will be approaching the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris later on this year, where we hope our Latin American and Caribbean Partners will join us in calling for an ambitious, comprehensive and legally binding climate change agreement among all of the world’s nations.
The EU as a global actor
The international negotiations on climate change are but one example of the EU member states’ conviction that there are significant benefits to speaking with one voice on the global stage. By crafting a common foreign and security policy, which has emerged gradually over the years, the twenty-eight member states have been able to exercise far greater influence on world affairs than if they were to speak solely on their own behalf.
This ability to speak with one voice was greatly strengthened in 2009, with the creation of the post of EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, currently occupied by former Italian Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini, which essentially gave the European Union its own highly visible Foreign Minister. Today, the European Union has its own diplomatic service, which is physically present all over the world through 139 Delegations and Offices, including a dense network of Delegations in the LAC region, which promote and protect European values and interests worldwide.
The European Union has proven its mettle in a host of thorny global issues. In 2008, the European Union helped broker a ceasefire between Georgia and Russia and provided humanitarian aid to people displaced by the conflict. In the Middle East, the European Union is pushing for a two-state solution, through its participation in the Middle East Quartet. For several years now, military forces contributed by several EU member states work together under one EU flag to fight piracy off the coast of Somalia. And in Central America we have been addressing the root causes of internal conflict so as to build long-term peace and stability.
Our commitment to exercise international leadership has been bolstered by efforts to coordinate our positions and actions in multilateral fora with our Latin American and Caribbean partners. The successful entry into force of the landmark Arms Trade Treaty last December is a testament to the positive influence our two regions can exercise on world affairs when we work together.
The European Union is also the world’s leading development donor, providing 50% of the world’s development aid. The core values at the heart of EU development policy are outlined in the European Consensus on Development, a policy statement jointly signed by the main EU policy institutions, which stresses the importance of aligning EU development interventions with national development strategies drawn up by the beneficiary countries themselves. Crucially, EU development policy emphasises targeting aid to those countries in greatest need, particularly fragile states.
It follows therefore, that countries already experiencing sustained growth, or having sufficient resources of their own, should obtain different types of EU assistance. The European Union has responded swiftly to the ebola crisis, committing over €1 billion in contributions from both the Member States and the European Commission’s budget to fight the epidemic. The European Union has also been sending emergency supplies, such as ambulances and field hospitals, and has deployed a number of its humanitarian experts to the three most affected countries. In order to celebrate its successes as a global development donor, the European Union has designated the coming year, 2015, as the European Year for Development, and a number of events will be organised around the world to commemorate this year.
The EU is Charlie
Europe’s role in the world is deeply rooted in its core values of tolerance, democracy and human rights. The widely circulated image of François Hollande walking arm in arm through the streets of Paris with his European counterparts, and foreign leaders including Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestine’s Mahmoud Abbas, and Mali’s Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, on the 11th January was a unique show of international solidarity and resistance against those forces of terror which seek to undermine our societies.
Perhaps one reason the ‘Je suis Charlie’ slogan has mobilized millions of citizens to march in unison across Europe’s streets is that the horrifying attacks in Paris were understood as an assault on those values that are so profoundly European and which our partners also share: fundamental freedoms, the rule of law and tolerance.
One thing is certain: the solution to the complex threat posed by terrorism cannot come from any individual country acting alone, but must be based on global cooperation guided by these very same values we hold so dear. As Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told the European Parliament this week: “Without freedom, there can be no security.” “We should not invest in fear” he said. “We should not invest in failure. We should invest in success and in a future for our children.”
The European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean – a valued relationship
Now I shall turn to a theme which I am sure will be of particular interest to this audience: the relationship of the European Union with Latin America and the Caribbean. The European Union enjoys a Strategic Partnership with Latin America and the Caribbean, premised on the common belief that both partners benefit from collaborating together in today’s interdependent world, both at the bi-regional level and directly on an individual basis.
The sheer extent of the political landscape covered by the ongoing dialogue between us, which spans trade and investment, climate change, migration, the fight against organised crime, the promotion of human rights, education and culture, to name a few, reflects the common vision we share of our role in the world.
We both approach the world with a sense of leadership and responsibility, whether this means safeguarding international security, or leading the global fight against climate change. Our actions are both guided by shared values, an affinity which emerged from our common history and culture, but has been reinforced by centuries of human and economic exchange.
The European Union remains committed to the region’s steady economic development, by facilitating the flow of trade and investment between us. The numbers speak for themselves:
– The European Union is Latin America and the Caribbean’s second most important trading partner, after the USA.
– Trade in goods between the EU and Latin America has more than doubled over the last decade, up to €202 billion, while trade in services has grown more than sixfold since the 1990s.
– The European Union is the leading foreign investor in Latin America and the Caribbean, contributing over 40% of the region’s total FDI. The EU’s investments in the region are greater than those in Russia, India and China combined.
We hope that the next bi-regional EUCELAC summit, hosted this year on European soil in Brussels, will serve as yet another occasion to reaffirm our commitment to our commercial relationship, as well as to intensify political dialogue on our common interests in today’s interdependent world.
Concluding Remarks
Ladies and gentlemen;
Almost sixty five years since its birth, the European Union endures as one of the most successful political experiments of our time. Despite recent economic challenges, the European Union remains a powerful symbol of political progress. The European Union has not only succeeded in living up to its original promise of turning warring neighbours into friends, but has since then established itself as a leader in many fields. Its environmental standards are unrivaled; it is an undisputed leader in the fight against climate change; it has succeeded in providing its members with a more visible, coherent presence on the world stage; and it has established itself as the world’s leading development actor.
As European Council President Donald Tusk told the European Parliament just this week: “Europe is not old, haggard or barren. Europe is young, dynamic and vital. Our continent remains the best place in the world to live.”
Many of the values we hold dear in Europe, and which international leaders collectively reaffirmed last week in the streets of Paris, are mirrored in Latin America and the Caribbean, thus providing a solid foundation for our Strategic Partnership, based not only on traditional trade and investment, but also our increasingly similar approaches to a host of global challenges, including climate change, security, and the fight against organised crime. We can only overcome these shared challenges by building on our joint successes, learning from one another, and cooperating more closely in the search for effective multilateral solutions.
Thank you.
