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6th Eurolat plenary session in Santiago de Chile (Chile) from 23-25 January 2013

Eurolat in Chile 2013 © European Parliament
The 6th EuroLat Plenary Session took place at the premises of the Former Chilean National Congress Building in Santiago de Chile from 23-25 January 2013 under Co-Presidents Deputy Gloria Oqueli (Parlacen) and José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra (EP).

The EuroLat 6th Ordinary Plenary Session started on 24 January with the Solemn Inaugural Session, after initial preparation taking place on 23 January, including preparatory meetings of the EuroLat Co-Secretariats, the EP Secretariat and EP Secretariat with EP political group counselors. Meetings of the EuroLat-Civil Society and Euro-Latin American Women's Forum also took place.

With some 62 EP Members and some 64 Latin American counterparts (plus 9 other national Members), the meetings proceeded starting on 23 January with meetings of the Political Families and the EuroLat Executive Bureau as well as a working dinner of the Working Group on Migration Issues.

The Official Joint Inaugural Session then commenced in the morning of 24 January 2013 in the venue of the Plenary Chamber of the Former Chilean Congress, with opening speeches by:

- Camilo Escalona, Speaker of the Senate of the Republic of Chile

- Nicolás Monckeberg, Speaker of the Chilean Chamber of Deputies

- Pío García Escudero, Speaker of the Spanish Senate

- Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of ECLAC (Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean)

- Baroness Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission/President of the EU Foreign Affairs Council

- EuroLat Co Presidents, Ms Oqueli and Mr Salafranca

- Sebastián Piñera Echenique, President of the Republic of Chile as main speakers


The EuroLat Plenary Session was timely organised on the eve of the I CELAC-EU Summit of Heads of State and Government taking place on 26-27 January 2013 in Santiago de Chile.