CELAC-EU Summit: Press Statement by High Representative / Vice-President Kaja Kallas
European External Action Service (EEAS)
09.11.2025
Santa Marta, Colombia
EEAS Press Team
Check against delivery!
President Petro,
Thank you for hosting us in this beautiful city of Santa Marta.
Two years ago Europe and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States met in Brussels. Since then, we have come a long way. In a world increasingly marked by confrontation, friendships are what counts. And that is what we have.
Today, we renew this commitment and we deepen this longstanding partnership. A partnership grounded in shared beliefs: in openness, cooperation, and a shared commitment to the rules-based international system.
First, our openness.
The EU and CELAC already represent over a fifth of the global economy. Our agreements with the Andean countries, Central America and CARICOM have been steadily delivering. But our joint potential is immense.
Two years ago we modernised our agreement with Chile. And in the same spirit, we upgraded our global agreement with Mexico.
And our proposed agreement with Mercosur will create the largest free trade zone in the world.
Soon almost the entire Latin American and Caribbean regions will trade freely with the EU.
While others look inwards, we stay open, trading and investing more than ever. Because openness creates opportunities and the EU and CELAC partners are proof of this in practice.
Second, on cooperation.
The EU and CELAC face the same challenge: how to overcome the old dependencies while avoiding new ones.
The European formula is to invest with our partners to build local jobs, grow local skills, and generate opportunities across entire value chains through Global Gateway.
For example, look at the BELLA cable. This fibre optic cable now connects 65 million people across our regions. Next year, we want to extend the cable to Central America and Peru, then to the Caribbean.
Today, we are launching the EU-LAC Supercomputing Network. Another way to connect our people - our researchers. We are also launching a regional electricity integration initiative to help you build connections right here. And we will help expand satellite connectivity as far as the most remote corners of the Amazon.
Cooperation helps us progress together and overcome the greatest global challenges. This includes climate change. Just last week, hurricane Melissa wreaked havoc in the Caribbean. The EU acted immediately. We provided over €21 million for food, healthcare and emergency relief to those most in need.
Climate change is making these disasters more frequent, and more destructive. We must be better prepared. That is why we are expanding access to Europe's Copernicus satellite system to give our Caribbean partners real-time data to monitor storms and save lives.
And lastly, on the international system.
The voice of CELAC carries real weight in the world. Together, the EU and CELAC represent one third of UN membership.
That is why we also count on your voice to help us tackle not only the greatest threat to Europe right now but to international law and global stability, which is Russia's war on Ukraine.
I often am asked why we are so fixated on this war when there are so many ongoing today. The answer is simple: Russia's war in Ukraine is an existential threat to the EU. It is the biggest war in Europe since 1945. And if Putin is not stopped, he will not stop.
Although Kyiv may seem far from Santa Marta, it is actually no further than here to the south of CELAC. This blatant breach of international law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity could have occurred anywhere.
Unchecked aggression only breeds more. We are all responsible for standing up for international law and creating the conditions for a just and lasting peace.
Dear Presidente Petro,
Europe and CELAC share much more than only history. All our people believe that we can do better by working together. So let us keep building on this.
Muchas gracias!
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