The objectives of this regional trip, which also includes visits to Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, will be to deepen bilateral relations and highlight the bi-regional priorities that will be addressed at the EU-CELAC Summit in Brussels on July 17-18. President von der Leyen’s visit to Chile is particularly meaningful this year given the conclusion of the negotiations of the EU-Chile Advanced Framework Agreement and the new opportunities for bilateral cooperation and trade that the Agreement establishes.
This agreement will provide the parties with a “next generation” legal framework that responds to citizens’ demands and global challenges, such as climate change, the digital revolution and greater social cohesion. It will expand political dialogue and cooperation on issues like sustainable development, international security, research, science and education, equality and inclusivity, participation and transparency, and it will also aim to establish an economic relationship that is more efficient and sustainable and that opens new trade and investment opportunities that benefit everyone.
As part of her official visit to the country, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will meet with the President of Chile, Gabriel Boric, at the Palacio de La Moneda. They will hold a bilateral working meeting in which they will discuss bilateral relations, the EU-CELAC summit, and the international context, especially the defence of multilateralism and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Together with President Boric, she will preside over the launching ceremony of two new EU-Chile cooperation initiatives: “Team Europe Fund for Renewable Hydrogen in Chile”, which will channel funding for the development of projects for the production and use of Renewable Hydrogen, and the technical assistance project “Team Europe for the Development of Renewable Hydrogen in Chile”, which will strengthen the conditions that can foster the renewable and sustainable hydrogen economy in Chile. The launch of these projects is part of the European Union’s investment and connectivity strategy, Global Gateway.
During the afternoon, President von der Leyen will conclude her visit to the country at Comberplast, a Chilean plastics recycling company that maintains close ties with several European companies, using state-of-the-art technology from Germany, Austria, France and Italy, importing duty-free under the 2003 Association Agreement, and exporting recycled products to the Netherlands (as well as to other European countries in the future). During her guided tour of the company, she will be accompanied by a group of children from an elementary school in San Bernardo, who will then be invited to watch an educational play about ocean pollution that was supported by the E as part of its activities to raise awareness among young people of the various dimensions of the fight against climate change.
Source : EEAS
