“Who should I call if I want to talk to Europe?” The phrase laden with irony is attributed to Henry Kissinger, the head of American diplomacy during the Nixon administration and one of the chief strategists during the Cold War, in reference to a period when the European Union was under construction.
These days, in Santa Marta, Latin America’s oldest city, that question can be formulated perfectly for the region, though with less acidity, given that Europeans realize how difficult it is to reach consensus. Who do you call? To the bloc of Lula, Buric and Petro? Are they a block? To Bukele, Milei or Noboa? Jerry or Rodrigo Paz? And perhaps there was no such fragmented region thirty years ago (“We have become a divided and balkanized region,” Lula said). Among the names mentioned above, only the Colombian leader, the host of the event, and the Brazilian, attended the CELAC summit and the European Union summit. There was a very strong presence, not in mortal body but in spirit, the presence of Donald Trump.
In the midst of escalating tariffs, growing conflict over missile attacks on drug boats, and direct coercion of national politics (as happened with Brazil or Argentina), the declaration did not mention the United States, because by doing so, it would be difficult for many countries to sign it.
The desire for transatlantic rapprochement has found an incentive in Trump, but this is not enough to overcome internal tensions in each region. A few months ago, Spanish politician Ramon Jauregui, President of the Euroamerica Foundation, defended the opportunity to prepare a presentation on migration issues for Latin America and the Caribbean within the framework of this summit. With human movement toward the United States at a standstill and the European need for these same people, Jauregui advocated opening consulates to organized immigration. With the exception of Spain, Europe today does not seem willing to open this conversation.
The final declaration of the summit included a general paragraph on “the importance of strengthening” cooperation in “migration management, including returns processes, and we recall our commitment to deepening cooperation and dialogue on migration and mobility in a comprehensive, balanced and integrated manner (etc.).” A charter for cities and another for citizens’ security were also signed. “We have to work on everything, but perhaps it is better to focus on two or three things. It is a summit in which many things were discussed,” a diplomat said on Friday at the hotel where the leaders’ meeting was being held. This is true, but it is still a notable, if less noticeable, absence.
European Council President Antonio Costa said: “Although there are countries here with very different ideological orientations, we have been able to reach a common position on the most important issues of the moment.” There has been a strengthening of environmental commitment, calls for attention to the authoritarian drift in Nicaragua and Venezuela (without naming them), and a strong defense of multilateralism that today no longer seems familiar. In the economic section, when we talk about the final signing of the agreement with Mercosur and major investments, we miss something more specific about worker mobility.
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