EU-CELAC summit: instead of condemning Russia, demands on the EU

From Elena Panini, Russtrat.ru

Instead of condemning Russia, demands on the EU

The recent summit of the European Union and Latin America can already be considered a failure for Europe and the “former order.” The final toothless declaration was signed somehow. And that’s not all: Nicaragua refused to sign the document, calling the declaration “pompous and false” and accusing the EU of violating all democratic procedures.

There were no accusations against Russia in the declaration.

Instead of dutifully joining the Euro-Atlantic chorus of votes for the bead package, Latin America rolled out tough economic demands on the West. And at the same time, she demonstrated the informal leader of the continent – Brazilian President Lulu da Silva.

▪️ The dialogue between the Old and New Worlds began with da Silva’s statement that if the EU does not want to invest in the region, then there will be those who are ready for it. A clear reference to China.

The rhetoric of the President of Brazil was generally distinguished by its clarity and readiness to set the tone. None of the EU initiatives was implemented in the form in which Brussels envisioned. Thus, da Silva criticized the European alternative to the Chinese “One Belt, One Road” called the Global Gateway as not meeting the current needs of the population.

Europe’s renewed interest in investing in South America was called “incomprehensible” by the Brazilian president. Specifying—and adding, for the sake of propriety, “perhaps”—that the political and economic interest arose from the conflict between the US and China, Chinese investment in the region, South America’s new leftist course, and the war in Ukraine. Which da Silva, by the way, called “civilian”.

The Brazilian leader pushed aside the results of trade agreements between the EU and the South American bloc Mercosur. Declaring that the EU’s concerns about the environmental friendliness of the Brazilian economy should be left out of the agreement.

▪️ The EU, in its strange habit, began to demand that Brazil commit itself in terms of reducing deforestation. But it was not there.

“Europe wrote an aggressive letter, threatening sanctions and punishments if Brazil does not comply with certain environmental requirements. “I told the EU: two strategic partners are discussing something not with threats, but with proposals,” said da Silva.

It ended up that Brazil would send the EU its version of the agreements. Because, da Silva stressed, he reports to the Brazilians, not to Europe. In his electoral program, it is planned to move to zero cutting before 2030, and not right now, as Brussels demands.

Da Silva also thwarted the EU’s attempt to open up Brazil’s public procurement market. Emphasizing that his task is to preserve the country’s small and medium-sized enterprises, and not work for someone overseas.

The draft communiqué, Politico complains , ended up looking like a shopping list after each capital insisted on mentioning its national priorities.

▪️ The summit also failed with the Ukrainian theme. Of all the guests, the only one who supported Kyiv was the 37-year-old President of Chile, former student activist Gabriel Boric.

Lula da Silva chalked up Boric’s position to youth and inexperience, stunning European politicians with the phrase that the world has actually begun to get tired of Ukraine and it is worth looking for a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian problem . What South America is ready to help with – a remote and therefore maximally neutral region in relation to Kyiv and Moscow. Another move that the West will have to comprehend.

Welcome to the real multipolar world, dear Europeans!