Europe and Latin America deepen partnership at CELAC–EU Summit in Colombia

At the CELAC–EU Summit in Santa Marta, Colombia, leaders from the European Union and 33 Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries agreed to strengthen their partnership around democracy, human rights, sustainable development, and fair global governance. The summit concluded with a joint political declaration and a roadmap outlining concrete measures for cooperation in trade, digitalisation, energy, security, and social inclusion — marking a new phase in bi-regional relations.

The new roadmap advances shared priorities under the Global Gateway and the UN’s 2030 Agenda. Central to the agreement is a €6.86 billion investment package to develop clean and interconnected energy systems across Latin America, supported by the European Investment Bank, Team Europe, and regional financial institutions. The EU and LAC also launched a Supercomputing Network for Artificial Intelligence, linking research centres in Europe and Latin America, and expanding the BELLA fibre-optic infrastructure to improve connectivity from Brazil to Central America and the Caribbean by 2026.

Further cooperation includes Stormwatch, a joint disaster-preparedness initiative using EU satellite data and supercomputing to help Caribbean countries improve weather forecasting and climate resilience. Leaders also endorsed a new Alliance for Citizen Security to combat organised crime, drug trafficking, and cyber-threats through coordinated law enforcement and judicial cooperation.

Both regions reaffirmed their commitment to multilateralism and the UN Charter, supporting the Pact for the Future and efforts to reform international financial and trade systems. The summit also saw renewed backing for the EU–Mercosur Agreement, the EU–Mexico Modernised Global Agreement, and an upcoming EU–Ecuador Sustainable Investment Facilitation Agreement, all intended to promote fair, sustainable trade and economic growth.