European Union Latin America summit / Development assistance

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European Union Latin America summit (internat. Abbreviation EULAC) is the designation of a series of summits of the state and heads of the government of the European Union, of Latin America and the states of the Karibik.

The past summit conferences took place since 1999 alternating in South America and in Europe, whereby the European meeting place so far in the periodical European Union presidency country was:

June 1999 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
May 2002 in Madrid, Spain
May 2004 in Guadalajara, Mexico
May 2006 in Vienna, Austria (see EULAC summits 2006)

The next "EU-LAK" - conference will take place 2008 in Peru.

Objective

The summit conferences are to deepen and become the 1999 strategic partnership begun of the two regions prepared by the ministers of foreign affairs. Topic tables of working groups with them and the outside and/or restaurant politicians precede the actual plenum of the heads of state, and subregionale meetings and special discussion circles with circles of the economy and development assistance follow.

In the summit 2006 61 state and/or head of the government participated (25 European Union countries, 34 from Latin America/Karibik and the entry countries Romania and Bulgaria).

The summits concentrate on topics of the political-economical co-operation, the external relations and the social problem of South America. 2004 the European Union-Mercosur-negotiations and 2005 failed those in the context of the world trade organization World Trade Organization, but to 2006 the discussions for a planned foreign trade zone of the two continents again was still more clearly taken up.

Present problems and chances

The tough negotiation processes of the last years are connected on the one hand with that variety of the states involved and their socio-economic structure, on the other hand with the link jerk occurred in parts of South America. Some states prefer bilateral economic agreements and locked such with the USA, while states with link governments criticize, for their development as harmful regard and if necessary to multilateral development co-operation bend this violently. Their refusal of neoliberaler restaurant concepts aims at a desirable promotion of the social politics, leads however usually to ausufernden budget deficits. By nationalizations (2006 e.g. natural gas extraction in Bolivia) the investors are disconcerted, which can endanger the creation of urgently necessary jobs.

Further problem areas are the poverty of far parts of the population, the high measure of criminality and corruption as well as the sinking social co-operation. The drug problem would require an intensified co-operation of the countries, which hardly comes off however for lack of agreement because of the way which can be hit. Something similar applies to the environmental protection, with which only Brazil has to register clear progress.

However the NGOs, increasing organizations of the church and development assistance active in social area, succeed in coordinating their activities and goals. A substantial step hiezu was the Viennese alternative summit in May 2006 and the continuation of its initiatives. Medium-term is for the improvement of the living conditions among other things education programs to contribute, more scholarships to South American students (promise of the European Union in May 2006), the stabilization of the selfinitiative (in particular of women) and the promotion of small firms. Increasingly also the role of European industrial trusts in Latin America and a better legal protection for human right activists are discussed.

In the national development policy the European union is the largest backer for the area Latin America/Karibik. Therefore the recent agreement gave the possibility to the union over the European Union budget 2007-2013 of guaranteeing at the summit 2006 the necessary means for the next years. In the very complex drug problem, where Bolivia and Colombia take new paths among other things, the mechanism of co-operation already existing is developed further.

For the foreign trade zone the desired at present (spring 2006) the negotiations between European Union and South America (Mercosur) become and/or Central America (CARIFORUM) on several levels intensifies. Relatively far also negotiations with Mexico and Chile are (3. and/or 2.Gipfel 2006) as well as concrete economic projects of the EU-LAC Business Summits. An European Union aid programme for Haiti, which ranks among the world-wide poorest states, was decided 2006 on suggestion of Chile. Making more difficult for the total process is however the withdrawal of Venezuela from and close A SHANk, which to president Hugo Chavez at the beginning of of 2006 explained.