They emphasize the commitment of 45,000 million that the EU will contribute to Latin America for the protection of the Amazon or mobility

   MADRID, 15 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The first vice president of the Government and acting minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, has highlighted that the Ecofin meeting held this Friday in Santiago de Compostela between the ministers of the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC ) is the first stone "to build that chapel that will result in a cathedral and that will serve to strengthen sustainable, fair growth and a better world for future generations."

This was expressed at a press conference this afternoon after visiting the Santiago Cathedral last Thursday. Calviño has stressed that "today more than ever" Latin America and the Caribbean "is a strategic partner" of the EU and a "key" region for the new international order, based on "multilateralism" and democratic values.

Santiago de Compostela hosted this Friday - it will continue on Saturday - the informal meeting of Ministers of Economy and Finance (Ecofin) of the European Union, which will be attended by ministers from 60 countries, both from the EU and, for the first time, from Latin America and the Caribbean countries.

Spain holds the rotating presidency of the EU this semester and, under that role, the first vice president and acting minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, intends to close some of the most relevant issues before the end of the year and given the proximity of the European elections.

One of the main points that has been addressed today has been the commitment of 45,000 million that the EU will contribute to Latin America and the Caribbean, with which to respond to challenges such as digitalization, protection of the Amazon, sustainable mobility or sustainable mining in Mexico, among other topics.

"Real projects," summarized Calviño, who trusts that with "determination" co-governance will be carried out that will make these investments included in the framework of the 'Global Gateway' - committed by Brussels to Latin America in July - make it come true.

The second point of the working session, where ministers from both sides of the Atlantic met, revolved around the discussion on the global financial safety network, in order to advance the international financial architecture.

For Calviño, the meeting between the ministers of the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean has been a "historic" meeting, for which work has been done on the "alignment" of the green, digital, human development and reduction of inequalities agendas. , among others.

He recalled that a total of 60 countries, representing 14% of the population and 21% of the world's GDP, are participating in this Ecofin, which is why he highlighted that it has been a "very substantive and very intense" meeting, while at the same time highlighted the commitment to new instruments and the promotion of public-private collaboration for the benefit of the most vulnerable countries and middle-income economies.

The president of CAF - Development Bank of Latin America -, Sergio Díaz-Granados, has called for "coordination" between both sides of the Atlantic in the face of the historical responsibility that these "difficult times" entail.

For their part, both Calviño and the European Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, have agreed that the instruments that will be used for the development of these 45,000 million will depend on each project, although they will opt to "replicate" mechanisms employees in the EU with "successful" public-private collaboration.

Likewise, Dombrovskis, who thanked the organization of this event, referred to the importance of the global financial architecture reform, which will be addressed in the coming weeks, while underlining the role of multilateral banks and trade agreements that are "beneficial for all."

The president of CAF - Development Bank of Latin America -, Sergio Díaz-Granados, has called for "coordination" between both sides of the Atlantic in the face of the historical responsibility that these "difficult times" entail.

Díaz-Granados has insisted on the need to preserve a space every two years and check the progress of this 45 billion investment agreement, so that it can be executed between now and 2027. "It is not going to be easy and it is going to require a lot of coordination." , It has been recognized.

For his part, the president of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), Ilan Goldfajn, considers that this is a "special moment", of inflection and political will on both sides of the Atlantic. He believes that Latin America and the Caribbean can be part of the solution to many global problems. "To do that, we need cooperation in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe and also from the IDB, CAF and the World Bank," he emphasized.

Finally, the Minister of Finance of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Camillo Michael Gonsalves, has defended that, as a result of the Global Gateway, a list of investments in the region "beneficial for human beings, centered on people, and in helping economies". He has also highlighted the consensus of the ministers that the financial architecture, as it was created 50 years ago, today does not meet its objectives.