European Union-Latin American interregional relations: taking stock and looking ahead

Bianculli, Andrea C.; Brossa, Laia; Jordana, Jacint

doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-68475-3_21

European Union-Latin American interregional relations: taking stock and looking ahead

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Citation

Bianculli AC, Brossa L, Jordana J. European Union-Latin American interregional relations: taking stock and looking ahead. In: Katsikas D, Del Tedesco Lins MA, Ribeiro Hoffmann A, editors. Finance, growth and democracy: connections and challenges in Europe and Latin America in the era of permacrisis. Cham: Springer; c2025. p. 349-70. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-68475-3_21

Abstract

The European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have a long and deep-rooted history of economic and political relations, which has shown fluctuations, due to a diverse combination of structural and agential variables. On the EU side, different mechanisms and strategies have been put in place, at different levels, ranging from bilateral dialogues to formal agreements and interregional summits. Moreover, relations revolve around three main agendas, including political dialogue, cooperation, and trade, and involve a wide array of state and nonstate, private and public actors. The literature on EU–LAC relations is vast and widely scattered across fields, but it often remains limited to examining specific dimensions, either a particular policy area, analytical level, or period. This chapter attempts to move forward by proposing a wider perspective on the interregional relations, based on an analytical policy approach. It introduces a novel database, which provides a mapping of the policy instruments that have been employed by the EU to activate such relations, including the agreements governing the relations between the EU and LAC, and the cooperation programs funded by the EU in LAC. Based on this, the chapter will provide an encompassing insight into how interregional relations have evolved, considering their variations across instruments, policy areas, territorial levels, and over time.