II. STRENGTHENING OUR BI-REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP
22. We welcome the advances made in our Strategic Partnership. We hereby commit to further strengthening this partnership, with the goals of deepening political dialogue and regional integration, promoting social inclusion and cohesion as well as intensifying bilateral relations between individual countries from both regions.
23. In particular, we express our satisfaction with these developments:
– EU-Colombia and Peru: conclusion of the negotiation of a Multi-party Trade Agreement1;
– EU-Central America: conclusion of the negotiations for an Association Agreement;
– EU- CARIFORUM: renewed regional political dialogue, launched on the 23rd of March 2010 in Kingston, Jamaica, and progress towards establishing a new Joint EU-Caribbean Strategy.
– 3rd EU-Brazil Summit within the framework of the EU-Brazil Strategic Partnership
– 5th EU-Mexico Summit and the adoption of a Joint Executive Plan, within the framework of the EU-Mexico Strategic Partnership.
– 4th EU-Chile Summit and Establishment of the EU-Chile Association for Development and Innovation (ADI).
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1 Bolivia has observed this Agreement and has presented a claim at the Andean Community Court of Justice.
24. EU-MERCOSUR negotiations: we recall the importance of the negotiations recently re-launched in view of reaching an ambitious and balanced Association Agreement between the two regions.
25. We express our satisfaction for the decision taken by the Heads of State and Government of Latin America and the Caribbean to create the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, as the first mandate in the Presidential Declaration of the “Latin America and the Caribbean Unity Summit” held in Cancún on February 23rd, 2010. We also express our support to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and to the Republic of Chile in their task to respectively organize the Summits of the CALC and of the Rio Group on July 5th, 2011 in Venezuela and in 2012 in Chile with the commitment aimed to real progress towards consolidating the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States.
26. We reaffirm our commitment to contribute at the long term and to the utmost of our capacity, in the joint efforts undertaken in favour of the Haitian people, and for the recovery and reconstruction of the country and its institutions, in accordance with the priorities and most fundamental needs of the people and government of Haiti. We express our belief that the recent natural disaster must be converted not only into opportunities to “build back better”, but also to foster overall economic and social progress, in accordance with the country´s Action Plan for National Recovery and Development. In this context, we look forward to the success of the Santo Domingo Conference to be held on June, 2nd 2010.
27. We also express our intent to strengthen cooperation for the prevention and the management of the effects of natural disasters. We recognize the importance of ICT networks and infrastructure, in natural disasters situation as instruments for the prevention and the management of natural disasters.
28. Following the commitments undertaken by us in Lima, in 2008, we express our satisfaction with the launch on June 30th, 2009, of the EU-LAC Structured and Comprehensive Dialogue on Migration, and support the principles and the full implementation of its agenda, as agreed in the document “Basis for structuring the EU-LAC dialogue”, adopted on that occasion. Through a multidimensional approach, this Dialogue is intended to achieve a better understanding of the realities of migration and to promote effective enjoyment and protection of human rights for all migrants in both regions, as well as to identify challenges and areas of mutual interest that require common solutions and concrete result-oriented cooperation on specific issues, such as those specified in our Action Plan.
29. In the context of our Dialogue we should also address measures to combat trafficking in human beings, smuggling of migrants and in assisting the victims. We also express our concern for all practices based on intolerance and racial prejudice.
30. The EU-LAC strategic partnership should assume a key role in future climate change and biodiversity negotiations, and in this regard we have initiated a EULAC Dialogue on Climate Change and Environment based on the relevant commitments of the “Lima Agenda for Sustainable Development: Environment; Climate Change; Energy” as well as on biodiversity which we aim to accomplish. Within the framework of the Dialogue, the importance of advancing in the implementation of the Lima Agenda was stressed. We express our political support for exploring innovative initiatives in this respect.
31. We are committed to promoting integrated strategies as well as public policies— including social protection and fiscal policies—aimed at eradicating poverty and reducing inequality and social exclusion. We encourage the incorporation of young people to decent, dignified and productive jobs and to ensure education and professional training systems that respond to the needs of the labour market, development objectives as well as to address and prevent long term unemployment.
32. We welcome the active role played by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) and its Latin American and Caribbean counterparts.
33. We shall intensify our existing bi-regional cooperation to tackle the world drug problem, in accordance with the principle of common and shared responsibility. In this context we welcome the Madrid Declaration adopted at the XII High Level Meeting of the LAC-EU Coordination and Cooperation Mechanism on Drugs, Madrid, April 26th and 27th, 2010.
34. We welcome the creation of a new Latin America Investment Facility (LAIF) by the EU, whose main objective is to serve as a leverage to mobilize additional financing to support investment in Latin America, which are to aid the progress in the priority areas. At the same time, we look forward to the creation of the Caribbean Infrastructure Fund. These initiatives will increase the capacity to finance projects in key sectors in the Latin American and Caribbean region.
35. Further to the initiative taken at the Lima Summit, we have decided to create an EU-LAC Foundation, which Terms of Reference we have received. This Foundation is conceived as a useful tool for strengthening our bi-regional partnership and a means of triggering debate on common strategies and actions as well as enhancing its visibility. The Senior Officials will adopt the decision on the headquarters of the Foundation.
36. We note the resolutions of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (Eurolat) and invite it to continue strengthening its action to the benefit of both regions.
37. We welcome the meetings and activities that took place between the Summits in Lima and Madrid, as well as their contributions, on issues that are part of the biregional Agenda, as well as all initiatives to follow-up our commitments. We are thankful to all EU and LAC countries that have hosted and supported these meetings.
38. We seek to achieve concrete results and greater added value in our bi-regional dialogue, extending it to new areas of common interest, as set forth in the joint Action Plan that we hereby adopt today. This Action Plan is mainly aimed at designing bi-regional cooperation programmes and initiatives, including southsouth cooperation and triangular cooperation. It includes identifying priority areas in which to work in the future, including sectors such as science, research, innovation and technology; sustainable development; environment; climate change; biodiversity ; energy; regional integration and interconnectivity to promote social inclusion and cohesion; migration; education and employment to promote social inclusion and cohesion; the world drug problem.