EUISS Chaillot Paper No. 145 (April 2018)

Dealing with diversity: The EU and Latin America today

Summary:

This Chaillot Paper examines the relationship between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It contends that the original assumptions underpinning EU policy towards the region no longer apply, due to the erosion of the liberal consensus, as well as the ongoing obstacles to regional integration in LAC.

Highlighting the various shortcomings in this bi-regional relationship, the paper argues that focusing on bilateral relations between the EU and individual countries is the way to move forward today, as it is in this sphere that deeper and more concrete cooperation has been strongest. This is because this level of interaction is best suited to accommodate an increasingly diverse region.

Table of Contents:

• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Understanding the other transatlantic relationship
  • Late encounter of distant regions
  • The emergence of the EU's policy towards LAC: convergence around liberal values
  • The partial failure of EU policy objectives
  • Drifting Apart
• Between Trump and Venezuela: Latin America today
  • Trump and US retrenchment from the region
  • The new role of China and its implications
  • Domestic politics in LAC: opportunities and challenges
• The institutional architecture of the EU-LAC relationship: adapting to diversity
  • The three-pillar approach: one size fits all?
  • Stagnation at the bi-reginal level: EU-CELAC
• Conclusion

• Primary Source

• Alternative Source