As the EU seeks to forge closer ties with democracies around the globe amid the war in Ukraine, one region has so far been largely neglected despite its huge potential for partnership: Latin America.
A new representative study by the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, which surveyed 12,000 people in 10 Latin American countries, found that Latin Americans see the European Union as their preferred partner, and there is considerable overlap when it comes to such values such as human rights or multilateralism. EURACTIV spoke to the president of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Martin Schulz, about the survey results and what they mean for the European Union.
Martin Schulz is chairman of the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Between 2012 and 2017, he was president of the European Parliament before being chosen as the lead candidate for the Social Democrats in the 2017 German federal election.
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- Despite its great potential as a close partner in times of crisis and beyond, Latin America is still largely neglected in the EU and is often portrayed as a continuation of Spanish or Portuguese foreign policy.
- The war of Russian aggression led some Latin American countries to leave the EU when it comes to their approach to Russia, as sanctions would be too costly for them.
- Europe must do more to economically assist the region in preventing the widening of social divisions and must intensify economic cooperation with the region on an equal basis.
- The EU has an advantage over China in the region because the population recognizes the EU as a preferred partner. But the EU must act now to use this to its advantage.
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Your representative study clearly shows excellent potential in EU-Latin American relations. Why has the EU neglected such an important region for so long?
This is something completely inexplicable that I have struggled against for many years. As leader of the socialist group in the European Parliament and as President of the European Parliament, I have emphasized time and again that no region on this planet has so many similarities with Europe at the cultural, economic and political level as the central and southern ones. America. It is not limited only to the social democratic perspective, but to the entire basic orientation of these countries. And this should not be underestimated.
If we look at the developments of the last year and a half, especially with regard to the elections in Chile, Colombia and perhaps even in Brazil, progressive governments in Europe, in particular, would be well advised to make more significant efforts to reach out to Latin America. .
There are two main reasons for the neglect of relations with Latin America: One problem is that individual EU member states, such as the Federal Republic of Germany, pick and choose the most economically interesting countries and then focus mainly on the bilateral level.
At the same time, many see Latin American politics as a continuation of Spanish-Portuguese foreign relations – only with a European dimension. In my eyes, these are the main factors of this neglect of the region.
Do you expect a stronger focus on Latin America in this context, especially because of the tense geopolitical situation we are facing?
I think that the European Parliament is the part of the EU institutions that is more open-minded towards Latin America. There is a great awareness of the importance of the region.
One risk is that some Latin American countries are moving away from the European Union when it comes to their approach to Russia.
While Latin American politicians – especially those on the left – condemn this shameful war, many do not support the sanctions imposed on Russia. Many politicians confirmed this to me during my trip to São Paulo, Montevideo and Buenos Aires.
There they told me: For you rich Europeans, the increase in energy and food prices is affordable. However, for us it means starvation for some parts of the population and the collapse of the middle class, which will lead to great political unrest.
And yet the EU would need Latin America as a strong geopolitical partner at this very moment?
Of course, it would be. Especially in this tense situation, in which democracies are under attack, of course we need the region as a partner. For the most part, governments there favor multilateralism and stand firmly behind the United Nations. They are all governments that want to see basic individual rights embodied as principles – especially the new governments in Colombia and Chile. In this context, the EU would do well to ensure that we do not lose these states as partners.
What can be done now to strengthen cooperation in these areas?
Above all, the EU must introduce an economic policy that enables Latin American countries to develop a fair partnership on an equal basis. For this, financial support is needed using trade policy. But it also means that EU trade policy should not focus primarily on opening markets.
This can be done, for example, in the Mercosur agreement. However, for this to work, Latin American countries must agree on the Mercosur strategy. This is very difficult in a country like Brazil because Brazil has so much economic and political influence in the region.
But the European Union must send the message: our market is open to you and we are ready to support you financially to close the social divisions that are currently being exacerbated by the food crisis.
The European Commission claims that it is already negotiating with Latin America on an equal basis.
Of course, Latin American partners see things differently. They continue to say that negotiations are not taking place in sight. It is precisely the special interests of some member states that make it difficult to implement the Mercosur agreement.
However, as I have already said, it is also necessary for Latin Americans to finally agree to the agreement.
Let me address the social divisions you mentioned: How can the EU support Latin American countries in this regard?
First of all, financially. Latin American countries need money. Some of them do not have it and therefore depend on the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund. Argentina is a good example: at the end of September, Argentina’s next installment from the International Monetary Fund is expected. And this even though Argentina is currently in a deep crisis. Not only is Argentina struggling with rising inflation, but it actually needs to use its money urgently to stockpile food supplies in the country to avoid shortages in the fall.
Even the President of the Republic, Alberto Fernández, addresses the problem quite clearly, saying that the IMF money is needed to prevent the worsening of the crisis in the current situation. Addressing the debt crisis affecting several Latin American countries is an urgent matter. Europe and also the United States of America should lend a hand here. European companies also play a crucial role and can help close investment gaps.
Equally important in this context is skills and education policy, both at school and university level. Investing in youth training is an essential prerequisite for financial investment. The European Union should become even more active in this field.
Your representative study illustrates the opinion of the Latin American population. In many areas – especially in terms of questions related to values – there is a lot of overlap. At the level of political leadership, however, there is still considerable inconsistency. Why is this the case?
If we could build our partnership solely on the will of the population, we would reach our goal relatively quickly. But the problem is often the governments, for example in Brazil, where the democratically elected president Jair Bolsonaro has shown a very populist attitude. He is, so to speak, an Amazon Trump. But this also applies to Venezuela and, to some extent, to Central American governments.
But overall, the EU currently has a whole range of dialogue partners in Latin America – especially since the shift to the left in the last elections – with whom it has one thing in common: the understanding that strengthening multilateral cooperation is a prerequisite for the protection of democracy. .
That is why I believe that in the political leadership of most Latin American countries, there is a great agreement with the results of our survey. They want to cooperate with Europe because they think that the European path to democracy is right.
Many analysts are currently warning that a new era of bloc politics could result from the war in Ukraine and increasingly close ties between Russia and China. Is there a risk that China will establish itself as a preferred partner in the region if the EU does not move now?
I think this is less the case in Latin America. China will face greater obstacles there than in Asia or Africa. The Chinese strategy is clear. For them, development cooperation is not based on any conditions. They say: “Here you have money, give us the raw materials.” We are not interested in what else you do.” Of course, this is particularly attractive to dictatorships and authoritarian regimes. More attractive, however, than the European Union, which imposes specific requirements upon entering into cooperation – such as the rule of law, transparency and respect for fundamental rights.
This is why I believe we have an advantage over China, especially in Latin America, because the population recognizes the EU as a preferred partner. But it also means we must act now.
Where should we take concrete action?
Above all in financial and commercial policy. And this is the big problem of the EU, and incidentally also the problem of the institutions based in Brussels. They are so fixated on internal EU affairs that they sometimes lack a geopolitical perspective on the role of the EU. The Green New Deal, for example, is very domestically focused rather than being an offer to other regions of the world. The European Union must do much better in this regard.
With its infrastructure initiative – “Global Gateway” – the EU has also set itself the goal of playing a bigger role again on the international stage. What was supposed to happen here?
You will need to answer this question in great detail. It is also a country specific question. When we talk about the implementation of strategies like the Global Gateway, we must abandon the idea that Latin America is a homogeneous entity.
In countries like Mexico, Argentina and Brazil, the largest Latin American countries, I think we should focus European support on the following: What are the investments that help the local population and at the same time help to meet the country’s sustainable development objectives outlined in the 2030 Agenda, namely the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?
In Brazil, for example, this would take the form of not investing in any highways if we want to oppose the deforestation of tropical forests, but in creating economic opportunities in those regions where people live from deforestation. We will have to invest in concrete projects that support the establishment or training and education of companies.
[Edited by Alice Taylor]
