The long-awaited response from the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to the draft joint declaration sent by the European Union ahead of the summit that on July 17 and 18 will bring together some 60 leaders from both blocs in Brussels – including the Brazilian, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who confirmed his presence yesterday – has been a real jug of cold water for the Twenty-seven, especially for Ukraine’s closest allies.
The war is not even mentioned as such in the alternative text sent from the other side of the Atlantic, which proposes eliminating the paragraphs proposed by Brussels in which the Russian invasion is condemned as a manifest violation of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and advocates that Russia cease the aggression by a statement of enormous vagueness. The lack of commitment they propose is such that several sources do not rule out that the next Euro-Latin American summit, the first in eight years, will end without a final declaration.
“We advocate a serious and constructive diplomatic solution to the current conflict in Europe by peaceful means, in a way that guarantees the sovereignty and security of all, as well as regional and international peace,” states the alternative text sent by the Latin Americans, to which La Vanguardia had access, which also evokes “the profound geopolitical transformations” that have occurred since 2015, which have triggered inflation and exacerbated inequalities and agri-food problems in the world.
Although most Latin American countries have joined the declarations condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine (in April, only Nicaragua voted against, while Bolivia, Cuba and El Salvador abstained), the attitude of Brazil and other states remains ambiguous. The war is seen as a distant conflict for this region, which is suspicious of the attention and resources that Europe gives it.
For all these reasons, the reference to Ukraine was expected to be one of the most difficult points to agree on, but the harshness of the Latin American response has surprised the Twenty-seven, who today will debate how to react at their weekly meeting of ambassadors. “Now is when the negotiations really begin,” say sources from the Spanish presidency of the Council of the Union.
Other delegations, on the other hand, describe the Latin American reaction as “provocation.” The 20-page document devotes some of its first paragraphs to evoking the drama of the transatlantic slave trade and proposes “recognizing” the need to restore the dignity of victims through compensation and reparations to correct “the legacy of underdevelopment.” In addition, amendments with a Bolivarian flavor abound (mentions to “Mother Earth”, stronger than usual language about Cuba, criticism of the colonialist heritage…) and there is a lack of depth in the contributions on issues that interest Europe, such as trade agreements, the investment agenda or alliances in strategic sectors such as critical raw materials.
The total absence of political coordination between the 33 countries that make up Celac – the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the intergovernmental mechanism that the EU has as a counterpart to organize the summit – could explain the response received, “an authentic patchwork of amendments”. , more than “a sum of agreed principles” or a counterproposal worthy of the name, according to European sources.
To further complicate matters, this year Celac is chaired by Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, a small Caribbean island of 110,000 inhabitants belonging to the Commonwealth. Its administrative capacity is presumed to be very limited and, in any case, light years ahead of that of the EU, which has nevertheless begun to negotiate with very little time –weeks, not months, as is usual in these meetings– the declaration of the summit this year.
According to European sources, the countries closest to Ukraine could refuse to accept that the summit ends with a declaration that does not explicitly condemn the war. Others, such as Germany, France, Spain or Portugal, they add, “given the broad field of cooperation that lies ahead”, could be more flexible as regards the detail of the text. One solution could be for the EU to come up with a new draft declaration, shorter and more concise than the current one, to relaunch the negotiations, they suggest.
The prospects for the summit improved yesterday with Lula’s confirmation – in a telephone conversation with Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, who is chairing the Council of the EU this semester – that he will attend the summit. Until now it was doubtful and his position will be key to a hypothetical trade agreement this year with Mercosur. His presence casts doubt on a hypothetical invitation to Volodímir Zelenski, who would like to participate in the event in some way to personally address Latin American leaders and persuade them of his vision of war and peace.
The idea has sparked divisions. While some delegations fully support it, others fear that it will be counterproductive, as it could lead to a new gap between the EU and Latin America instead of building bridges. For now, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, has not issued any invitation.
