COVID-19 PANDEMIC: A PROMISSORY OPPORTUNITY FOR A STRONGER EUROPEAN UNION-LATIN AMERICA PARTNERSHIP

Abstract

Latin America and Europe share important historical, economic, cultural and migratory ties; paradoxically, a bi-regional understanding has not been fully reached and now it is being tested by the advance of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the already weakened global multilateralism. In this sense, there are several internal and external challenges that the pandemic has posed for both regions. On one side, a confronted European Union in its internal divisions, a growing euroscepticism and the goal of leading an integral transformation towards a greener and digital economy for positioning itself as an influential geopolitical actor amid US-China tensions. On the other side, a disintegrated Latin America immersed in the greatest economic, social and health crisis in its history, which has been intensified with the continuous years of low economic growth and social discontent. In this context, this essay’s objective is to identify how the pandemic has deepened existing and emerging weaknesses in these regions and then, to propose potential main axes –economic recovery, environment, democratic institutionalism, migration, gender and health- for a postCOVID-19 cooperation agenda.