Anti-drug campaign casts a shadow over EU-Latin America summit

In the Colombian coastal city of Santa Marta, top representatives from Europe and Latin America are discussing a common agenda for the future. It is the fourth summit of heads of state and government from the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) – and this time it is overshadowed by geopolitical tensions .

CELAC and the EU represent more than one billion people.

The meeting is headed by Colombian President Gustavo Petro, currently chairman of CELAC. Together, CELAC and the EU represent more than one billion people, 14 percent of the world's population, and 21 percent of global economic output.

The consultations are expected to conclude with the adoption of a concrete action plan to strengthen bi-regional cooperation. The focus will be on the so-called triple transformation – the energy, digital, and environmental transitions – as well as topics such as sustainable trade, migration policy, and regional security. Education, gender equality, and strengthening domestic pharmaceutical production in Latin America are also on the agenda.

A summit with a reduced list of participants

Germany is represented by Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU), and the EU by its High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas . However, numerous heads of state and government are staying away from the meeting on the Caribbean coast. Neither EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen , German Chancellor Friedrich Merz , and French President Emmanuel Macron, nor the presidents of Mexico , Argentina , and Chile traveled to Santa Marta.

"Forces opposed to peace in America want the CELAC Europe summit to fail," President Petro wrote on the news platform X. The host wants to focus the meeting primarily on the recent US military operations against suspected drug boats in the Caribbean. Many of the absent heads of state and government did not want to take a position on this sensitive issue, according to speculation in Latin American media.

In recent weeks, US forces have repeatedly sunk speedboats belonging to suspected drug traffickers in the Caribbean. Dozens of people have died as a result. Washington has also imposed sanctions on President Petro , accusing him of lacking resolve in the fight against the drug cartels.

Petros' important foreign policy project

The summit will be accompanied by forums for civil society and business, with representatives from non-governmental organizations, trade unions, indigenous groups, and small businesses participating. The meeting is considered an important foreign policy project of the Petro administration and an attempt to position Latin America as an independent political actor in the changing global power structure – with Colombia and Brazil serving as its mouthpieces.

pg/wa (dpa, afp, epd)

Editorial deadline 5:45 p.m. (CET). This article will not be updated further!