The Minister of Finance and Economy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Camillo Michael Goncalves, highlighted that once ties were resumed at the highest level at Brussels summit last July, the relationship with the EU is flowing dynamically, trying to leave behind the consequences of Covid-19 or wars and natural disasters, and firmly confront climate change.
As acting vice president of Celac, Goncalves referred to the ambitious list of projects promoted by the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean and the 45 billion euros that the European community bloc intends to mobilize by 2027.
“It is the first time that I feel we have made solid and constructive progress between northern and southern countries,” he stated regarding the meeting of Celac and EU ministers held in this capital city of Galicia.
For her part, in a meeting with journalists, the first vice president and head of Economy of the acting Government of Spain, Nadia Calviño, described the event as historic, reiterated that Latin America is a reliable, close and essential partner for the Old Continent and she highlighted the emphasis on green, digital and human development programs in future investments.
Calviño, who led the meetings of Ecofin (of the EU), CAF and other financial entities together with Celac, also pointed out that the European Commission wants to close the agreement with Mercosur this year, although it will depend on several factors.
In its capacity as semi-annual president of the EU, Spain is promoting an agreement after receiving a proposal from the group made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.
In this sense, the Executive Vice President and European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, admitted that both parties (EU and Mercosur) are ‘eager to advance economically and geopolitically in the largest agreement ever negotiated by the group.’
The protection of the Amazon rainforest was one of the essential issues that received multimillion-dollar support today from the 27 at their meeting here at the Ecofin Council.
In this regard, the EU spoke out in support of a plan to preserve the so-called lung of the planet, the Amazon, with the idea of coordinating financial contributions of its members and investing the amounts as planned in its Global Gateway program.
EU members and institutions such as the European Investment Bank, centralized through Team Europa, will coordinate €260 million already committed by Spain, Italy, Sweden, France, Germany and the Netherlands to stop deforestation in the Amazon.
Delegations of Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Uruguay and Venezuela took part in the meetings with the EU.
Also present were Sergio Díaz Granados, executive president of the CAF-Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, Christine Lagarde, president of the European Central Bank (ECB) and Ilan Goldfjan, head of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
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