President Costa to travel to Latin America for COP30 and EU-CELAC Summits

In early November, the President of the European Council, António Costa, will travel to Brazil to attend the COP30 Climate Summit and also to Colombia, where he will co-chair the fourth CELAC-EU summit and the EU-Caribbean leaders’ meeting.

COP 30 – 6 and 7 November

The UN COP30 Leaders’ Summit will be held in the city of Belém, in the Brazilian Amazon, on 6-7 November. The Summit will focus on the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the assessment of the new climate action plans submitted by each country (the NDCs).

EU – CELAC – 9 November

Two years after their successful multilateral summit in Brussels, the leaders of the European Union (EU) and the 33 countries of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) will meet in Santa Marta, Colombia, for the fourth EU-CELAC summit. The summit will be co-chaired by the President of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, in his capacity as President pro tempore of CELAC, and the President of the European Council, António Costa.

The CELAC-EU Summit underlines the determination of both regions to strengthen their long-standing partnership, which is based on common values and interests and close economic, social, cultural and people-to-people ties. The meeting aims to further enhance cooperation in the face of global challenges and to continue to transform our common aspirations into concrete actions for the benefit of the people of both continents.

Discussions will also address priorities such as upholding multilateralism, trade and investment, the ecological and digital transitions, and the joint fight against organised crime, corruption, drug trafficking and human trafficking, as well as explore new ways of working together to promote peace, security and prosperity in both regions.

Background

COP

On 21 October, the Council adopted Conclusions on the EU’s preparations for the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30). These set out the EU’s key priorities and positions for the Conference, focusing on the urgent need for climate action and collaboration on climate action worldwide. On 4 November, the Council will also seek to reach a general approach on Europe’s 2040 climate goal and endorse Europe’s Nationally Determined Contribution for 2035.

CELAC – Caribbean region

With more than one billion people, CELAC and the EU together represent 14% of the world’s population, and their states account for 21% of the world’s GDP and one third of the membership of the United Nations. The EU’s relations with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) as a strategic partnership date back to 1999, when the first bi-regional EU-LAC Summit was held in Rio de Janeiro. Since the creation of CELAC in 2010, three EU-CELAC summits have been held: in 2013, 2015 and 2023. The summit is the main forum for dialogue and cooperation between the EU and CELAC states, which maintain regular high-level contacts through various coordination mechanisms and bi-regional and sub-regional political and sectoral dialogues.

EU-LAC relations comprise one of the densest trade networks in the world, with a total bilateral trade in goods and services of €395 billion in the period 2022-2023 (45% from 2013). The EU is the third largest trading partner of the Latin America and Caribbean region, while Latin American and Caribbean countries are the EU’s fifth largest trading partner. The European Union is the main source of investment in the region and contributed more than €741 billion of foreign direct investment in 2022. The EU-LAC partnership is also supported by the Global Gateway Investment Agenda, which focuses on green and digital transition projects in Latin America and the Caribbean.

More information: European Council