Pedro Sánchez has once again demonstrated his instinct to place himself in the forum that suits him ideologically, even if it means weakening the historical role that Spain plays in Latin America. His enthusiasm for the summit between the European Union and CELAC being held there … Santa Marta, Colombia, responds not so much to state strategy as to political rapprochement with Gustavo Petro and Lula da Silva, whom he considers his companions in progressive discourse.
The Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) deliberately excludes Spain, Portugal and the United States. This is not a bureaucratic oversight or a diplomatic technicality: it is a political decision. CELAC was supposed to constitute a counterweight to the Organization of American States, where Washington and Canada enjoyed particular weight, and the Ibero-American summits, where Spain and Portugal played an undisputed leadership role. Over time, this office became the main office of the São Paulo Forum, where some left-wing Latin American governments could speak without annoying observers. Sanchez’s preference for this forum reveals his troubling abandonment of true leadership.
This circumstance is what caused the summit to be held with notable absences. Ursula von der Leyen, Emmanuel Macron, Giorgia Meloni and Javier Maile are not there. Neither does Chilean Gabriel Boric, a leftist whose idea of human rights led him to confront Nicolas Maduro in a way that neither Yolanda Díaz nor Podemos did. On the other hand, Petro, Lula and Sanchez appear united by their recent differences with the United States. The agenda – energy transition, migration, organized crime, digital cooperation – is broad and ambitious, but its results will not go beyond good intentions and official images. Discourse will be abundant; Little or no binding decisions.
Meanwhile, the Summit of the Americas was canceled following the US military deployment in the Caribbean. Washington claims it sank 17 ships and killed 70 people. These attacks, which the region’s governments describe as “extrajudicial executions”, are unilateral actions without a legal basis. The United States claims to have it, but so far has not put its arguments on the table. Lula demands that the matter be discussed in Celac, where his natural place would be the UN Security Council. Thus, this forum becomes just a stage, and not a space for practical cooperation with Europe. In a scenario, the most important thing is the position he occupies. Spain has historically served as a bridge between two shores. In the Ibero-American summits, it plays a proactive role and takes leadership in the areas of education, health and trade. In Celak, he is a marginal actor. Its influence dissolves under the name “European Union.” No lighthouse, no bridge: just another partner in a discordant chorus.
Sanchez’s enthusiasm for this summit responds to an ideological vision, not a diplomatic vision. In his statements during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Brazil, he defended “openness to other blocs” in the face of the “withdrawal” of some administrations, in a clear reference to the United States. It is legitimate to diversify alliances, but not at the expense of weakening the role of each party. Abandoning the Ibero-American axis does not strengthen Spain: it turns it into a band.
Selac serves, above all, to ensure that some Ibero-American governments agree with each other. It is a forum for ideological self-assertion, not effective integration. Diplomacy is not built on exclusion or nostalgia for revolution. Spain must lead with realism, history and responsibility. The rest is geopolitical positions.
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