Summit in Latin America
Stepping up investment in everybody's interests was one goal of the summit that brought together the states of the European Union and Latin and Caribbean states. Germany and Chile signed an agreement on mining and the extractive sector.
Chancellor Angela Merkel and Chile's President Sebastián Piñera
Photo: Bundesregierung/Denzel
Before the summit began Chancellor Angela Merkel discussed bilateral issues with the Chilean government, and attended an Economic Forum.
Germany and Chile – strategic relations
Talks between Angela Merkel and Chile’s President Sebastián Piñera covered a wide range of subjects: business, energy and the environment, culture, and science and research. Cooperation was also stepped up on issues relating to the extractive sector. The Chancellor said, "Chile is a rich land in terms of raw materials. There are many possible avenues of cooperation. The very fact that we have signed an agreement on cooperation in the extractive sector here today demonstrates how our relations are developing in a strategic direction."
The Chancellor was accompanied by a business delegation including representatives of medium-sized businesses with special links to Latin America in general and Chile in particular. She spoke to a European-Latin American Economic Forum on economic-policy issues.
Santiago de Chile, 26.01.13: Chancellor Angela Merkel landed at the Arturo Merino Benítez Airport where she was met by a guard of honour of the Chilean army.
One of the soldiers in the Chilean guard of honour watches ...
... as the Chancellor lays a wreath at the memorial to the Chilean national hero Bernardo O'Higgins.
At the presidential palace 'La Moneda' Chile's President Sebastián Piñera Echenique welcomed Angela Merkel for bilateral talks.
Their agenda was wide-ranging, covering business, energy and the environment, culture, and science and research.
Afterwards an agreement on the extractive sector and a political declaration of intent regarding cooperation in the mining and extractive sector were signed.
The Chancellor bids the President farewell before attending the European-Latin American Economic Forum.
At the summit she met Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto.
She spoke to the representatives of the business community on economic-policy issues.
Later Angela Merkel met Brazil's President Dilma Vana Rousseff for bilateral talks.
In the afternoon Chile's President welcomed the Chancellor to the seventh EU summit with the states of Latin America and the Caribbean.
The most important topic on the agenda of the summit was sustainable development. It also looked at growth and equality of opportunity.
The German government and the EU would like to use the summit to further step up investment in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks to her Latin American opposite numbers.
The first day of the summit wound up with a riding display at a country club.
On the sidelines of the show, the Chancellor spoke to the President of Cuba's Council of State, Raúl Castro.
27.01.13: On the second day of the summit, bilateral talks were held. The Chancellor is shown here with Columbian President Juan Manuel Santos.
Federal Government Spokesman Steffen Seibert reports on the talks to the German journalists accompanying the Chancellor.
In the afternoon a guard of honour bids the Chancellor farewell at the airport with military honours, as she prepares to fly back to Berlin.
Stepping up investment
Thereafter the Chancellor attended the seventh summit of the European Union with the states of Latin America and the Caribbean. In 2011 the latter founded CELAC, the Community of Latin America and Caribbean states. The summit addressed an Alliance for Sustainable Development to Promote Investments of Social and Environmental Quality. It also looked at growth and equality of opportunity.
The German government and the European Union called for enhanced investment in Latin America and the Caribbean in the interests of all parties concerned. The aim is to make bi-regional cooperation an alliance for sustainable development.
Pressure against protectionism
Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke out against every sort of protectionism. "We are extremely concerned about certain protectionist trends in some countries. Obviously we do not share all political views either." Nevertheless she had the impression, she declared, that by far the majority of summit participants are committed to free trade.
At the summit the leaders adopted a political declaration and expanded the Action Plan previously adopted at the Madrid Summit in 2010.
Working together to overcome the euro crisis
The Chancellor called on participants to redouble their efforts to tackle the financial crisis. "Our development is very much mutually dependent," she said on Sunday, the final day of the summit. We must work on competitiveness and tackle budget deficits. "The most important thing for the countries is that they have the impression that we, the euro zone, are mastering the crisis together, not leaving any individual countries in the lurch."
Summit for a billion people
The "strategic partnership" between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean embraces all EU member states and all states of Latin America and the Caribbean (which are together home to about one billion people). It was founded in June 1999 at the first EU-LAC summit in Rio de Janeiro.
The partnership builds on the regions’ shared cultural legacy and shared values. It embraces close political, economic, cultural, scientific and technological cooperation.
The bi-regional partnership consists of a closely interwoven network of diverse relations, activities and cooperation mechanisms. It comprises the government level, alongside civil societies, parliaments and businesses. The wide spectrum of events illustrates the broad base on which cooperation stands. The partnership has been developed at five summit meetings to date (Madrid 2002, Guadalajara 2004, Vienna 2006, Lima 2008 and Madrid 2010).
CELAC - Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños
CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean states, which was founded in December 2011 in Caracas is the success of the Rio Group and the Latin American and Caribbean Summit on Integration and Development (CALC). Its members include 33 sovereign states on the American continent; only the USA and Canada are not represented. The Community is primarily intended to foster political dialogue, and economic, social and cultural integration among member states. In the short term, infrastructure links between countries in the region are to be enhanced to encourage exchange within the region.