The Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat)made up of 75 MEPs and 75 representatives of the parliaments of Latin America and the Caribbean, will debate this Wednesday and Thursday in Buenos Aires as part of the organization’s 14th plenary session, under the motto “A fair and inclusive economic recovery in peace”.
The assembly will be formally inaugurated this Wednesday at 12 by the vice president and head of the Argentine Senate, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner; the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzolaand the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs, Joseph Borrell.
The act will take place in the National Auditorium “La Ballena Azul” of the Kirchner Cultural Center (CCK).
After the opening session and a press conference, the working groups will meet, and on Thursday the 14th the session will close with a vote on the agreed topics.
EuroLat members will discuss criminal cooperation and the problem of hate speech. The need for both actors to establish suitable environments for attract, retain and grow new digital platformsas well as the scrutiny of the business negotiations and monitoring of trade agreementsexplained the organizers.
In the social field, the debates will focus on culture as a means to promote relations between both actors and the challenges and opportunities arising from the pandemic to reform educational systems.
In addition, a report on the circular economy will be voted on and the “rights of nature” will be addressed.
A Task Force on Food Security and the Fight against Hunger was also created to facilitate the post-pandemic recovery process and deal with the effects of the war in Ukraine on the global food market.
Other debates will focus on the fight against drug trafficking and women’s sexual and reproductive health and rightsand the situation of LGBTI rights in the EU and Latin America.
The co-presidents of EuroLat, Javi López (Spain) and Óscar Darío Pérez Pineda (Colombia), pointed out on Tuesday the importance of “regional cooperation” between Europe and Latin America when dealing with common issues, such as “the fight against the pandemic” of Covid-19, the “social and transformative” recovery after having to “submit economies to hibernation”, the taking on of public debt and the fight against climate change, among other issues.
They also highlighted, in a press conference, the common interest in issues of a war nature, such as the cases of the invasion of Ukraine and the Malvinas Islands.
Javi López told Télam that in the current world situation Argentina plays “a very relevant role as a regional engine” as temporary president of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac), and considered that “Europe is not going to find anywhere in the world a look so similar to his” as in Latin America.
The EuroLat Parliamentary Assembly is the parliamentary institution of the Bi-regional Strategic Association, established in June 1999 within the framework of the EU-Latin America and the Caribbean Summits.
Meanwhile, EuroLat was created in 2006 and meets in plenary session once a year.
The 75 members of the Latin American component of EuroLat include representatives from Parlatino (Latin American Parliament), Parlandino (Andean Parliament), Parlacen (Central American Parliament) and Parlasur (Mercosur Parliament).
As a result of the existence of mixed EU/Mexico and EU/Chile parliamentary committees, the Mexican and Chilean Congresses are also represented.
