Welcome from the Chair
Welcome to the site of the European Parliament's Delegation to the EU-Chile Joint Parliamentary Committee (D-CL).
As the elected chair of the delegation, I preside over the regular meetings of our delegation in Brussels and Strasbourg. Moreover, together with the Co-Chair of the Delegation of the Chilean Congress, I chair the meeting of the EU-Chile Joint Parliamentary Committee, which takes place twice a year alternately in Chile and in the European Union.
During this term of the European Parliament, we were actively following the process for the updating of the EU-Chile Association Agreement. The Agreement was signed on 18 November 2002 and needs to be adapted to the new economic and political environment we face today. I'm very satisfied to hear that after many months of preparations, the actual negotiations will most likely start this autumn. Our delegation also followed with great interest the very ambitious reform agenda that the current government under President Michelle Bachelet has brought in since 2013. The reforms aim at changing key areas of Chilean society: education, the pension system, the labour law, the tax system and the constitution.
During the many years of close cooperation, Chile has always proven to be a like-minded and reliable partner for the European Union, sharing the same values and very often defending the same positions in international organisations. To have a partner like Chile is of great value for the European Union in our fast changing times.
As the elected chair of the delegation, I preside over the regular meetings of our delegation in Brussels and Strasbourg. Moreover, together with the Co-Chair of the Delegation of the Chilean Congress, I chair the meeting of the EU-Chile Joint Parliamentary Committee, which takes place twice a year alternately in Chile and in the European Union.
During this term of the European Parliament, we were actively following the process for the updating of the EU-Chile Association Agreement. The Agreement was signed on 18 November 2002 and needs to be adapted to the new economic and political environment we face today. I'm very satisfied to hear that after many months of preparations, the actual negotiations will most likely start this autumn. Our delegation also followed with great interest the very ambitious reform agenda that the current government under President Michelle Bachelet has brought in since 2013. The reforms aim at changing key areas of Chilean society: education, the pension system, the labour law, the tax system and the constitution.
During the last few years, our delegation has also actively supported efforts new forms of cooperation, moving away from traditional development cooperation and focusing on other kinds, such as triangular cooperation. Future cooperation between Chile and the EU will include issues such as security and justice, sustainable development, energy, research and certain specific areas such as tourism, statistics and transport.
During the many years of close cooperation, Chile has always proven to be a like-minded and reliable partner for the European Union, sharing the same values and very often defending the same positions in international organisations. To have a partner like Chile is of great value for the European Union in our fast changing times.
I look forward to guiding our delegation through these challenging times of profound change.
Constanze Krehl