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EuroLat represents the parliamentary dimension of the European Union - Latin American and Caribbean Bi-regional Strategic Partnership. In Madrid, the EuroLat Assembly will bring together its 150 Members, including those of the Latin American Parliament, the Central American Parliament, the Andean Parliament, the Mercosur Parliament and parliamentarians from Mexico and Chile. A large number of high-level personalities and guests linked to regional and bi-regional integration in Europe and Latin America have been invited.

Over the last years, the EuroLat Assembly has always advocated in favour of boosting the bi-regional dialogue at the highest level and has therefore welcomed the announcement of the next EU-CELAC Summit of Heads of State and Government taking place in Brussels on 17 and 18 July 2023.

In this regard, the EuroLat plenary meeting in Madrid will be an opportunity to assess the outcome and conclusions of the upcoming Summit.

The 150 EuroLat members met in times of a rapidly changing geopolitical context and at a crucial time for the relaunch of EU-Latin America relations, right after the EU- CELAC ministerial meeting in Argentina and the adoption of the EU "Road Map 2023".

The Co-Presidents of the EuroLat Assembly, Javi López, President of the European Parliament's Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, and Oscar Darío Pérez Pineda, President of the Latin American component, co-chaired the Inaugural Session on 30 November.

Josep Borrell, Vice President of the European Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, delivered the opening speech in the presence of Edita Hrdá, Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the EU, and Roy Barreras, President of the Congress of the Republic of Colombia.

Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, held her welcome speech in the afternoon of 1 December.

On the same day, the four EuroLat committees met and voted on four reports and discussed current issues in bi-regional relations.

The Political Affairs Committee voted on its report on "combating hate speech" and held a debate about "the challenges of democracy in the digital world".

The Social Affairs Committee voted on its report on "the challenges for the education sector in the face of COVID-19 and the post-pandemic era" and considered the question of "social mobility as an instrument to overcome poverty and social inequality in crisis contexts".

The Economic Affairs Committee voted on its report on "digital platforms in the modern economy" and exchanged views on the "follow-up of the 12th WTO Ministerial Conference".

The Sustainable Development Committee voted on its report on "challenges to ensure the human right to water" and discussed the perspectives for "sustainable transitions in the face of new geopolitical challenges: resilient food systems, energy supply and industries".

In the evening, the EuroLat meeting with Civil Society focused on "binding standards for corporations on human rights and the environment" and on "good governance, democratic space and the right to defend rights"; whereas the Women Forum dealt with "the impact of trade on women in Europe and Latin America".

On 2 December, the Working Group on Security and Organised crime exchanged views on "hybrid threats, disinformation and cyber threats" and considered the draft recommendation on "the fight against organized crime in the European Union and in Latin America and the Caribbean".

On the same day, the Working Group on Food security and Combating hunger focused their discussion on "Euro-Latin American cooperation on resilience and sustainability of food systems in light of the current food crisis".

All meetings were webstreamed and were able to be followed live or in person at the premises.

Please consult the individual pages of the meetings for more information.

The 14th EuroLat plenary session took place in Buenos Aires (Argentina) from 11-14 April 2022.

The Eurolat Members discussed the follow up to the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean, its economic and social consequences and the road to recovery under the title of "A fair and inclusive economic recovery in peace". The pandemic has led to unprecedented losses of lives, a deep economic downturn, and had a profound negative impact on employment, poverty, education, public health and living conditions in both regions.

This meeting was the first occasion for the 150 EuroLat members to meet again in person since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. The Co-Presidents of the EuroLat Assembly, Javi López MEP, President of the European Parliament's Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, and Oscar Darío Pérez Pineda, President of the Latin American component, co-chaired the plenary meeting, which was held over two days throughout the programme.

The four committees of Eurolat as well as the Working Groups and Fora met in two-hour sessions each. This plenary session was the first time that the Working Group on Food Security and Fight against Hunger met and elected its Chair, after a Eurolat Bureau decision of May 2021. The unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine has further destabilised already fragile agricultural markets which were already under pressure due to the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change. As a result, agriculture all over the world is under pressure with potential implications about global food security.