The President of the European Council, Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan and the President of Mexico, Vicente Fox Quesada, held a press conference today at the beginning of the working meeting of Heads of State and Government in the framework of the IV EU-LAC Summit.
“The economic data show how important the economic cooperation between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean has become. Our volume of trade currently stands at 110 billion euros. The European Union is the world’s biggest provider of development assistance in this region”, Chancellor Schüssel said.
"The focus is not exclusively on the economy at this conference. We must also listen to the practical concerns of ordinary people. We should therefore also tackle controversial issues. The more we listen to one another, the greater will be the understanding that develops between us and the fewer differences will have to be settled”, Schüssel added.
According to the Chancellor, Latin America and Europe have a great deal in common: “The diversity of our states, regions and peoples can be enriching to all of us. We are already in a relationship of positive dependence as, in the twenty-first century, hegemonic policies are a thing of the past. Our objective is to develop our cooperation and to learn from one another.”
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, expressed his satisfaction with the summit. "We are discussing common concerns at this conference. One of the greatest challenges in the 21st century is to narrow the gap between rich and poor. Specifically in the coming years, many young people will be coming on to the labour market and we need to find jobs for them.” Kofi Annan said that small and medium-sized businesses in particular made a very valuable contribution to reducing youth unemployment, as a study by the United Nations had shown. “We cannot accept that young people have no work and are thus marginalised”, he said.
According to the the Mexican President Vicente Fox “Latin America and the Caribbean countries have a competent partner with clear ideas on economic, political and social issues. That partner is the European Union.” This strategic partnership must grow and can enrich both sides. While Europe had already concluded its consolidation process, this process still lay ahead of Latin America. "We must intensify our efforts in this direction in order to move forward with integration. Latin America must step up the pace and follow the European example. This meeting enables the two sides to deepen the strategic partnership", Fox concluded.
Email Service
Accreditation
Hotel Reservation
Route Planner
Weather