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EU-CELAC summit ends in Brussels, pledging further bi-regional cooperation

Xinhua, June 11, 2015 Adjust font size:

The second European Union (EU) - the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) summit concluded here on Thursday, with both sides pledging to further strengthen their bi-regional cooperation.

During the two-day summit, the European Commission announced over 800 million euros (about 898 million U.S. dollars) in support to CELAC, said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker at the joint press conference following the summit.

The commitment included 230 million euros (258 million U.S. dollars) to support the efforts towards the sustainable development of Latin America and the Caribbean, 346 million euros (388 million U.S. dollars) for a new regional funding program with the Caribbean region up to 2020, 118 million euros (132 million U.S. dollars) for strategic investment projects, 81.5 million euros (91 million U.S. dollars) to finance capacity building projects linking European and Latin American higher education institutions, around 25 million euros (28 million U.S. dollars) for a new fiber-optic cable connecting Europe and Latin America.

Juncker also called for "a new type and focus for our cooperation", as "a lot has changed in the last decade. Countries which used to be recipients of development cooperation are now donors - student becoming teacher - and are playing a more prominent role in international relations."

European Council President Donald Tusk expressed appreciation for the attendees, adding: "The high rate of participation from both sides of the Atlantic is a sign of the importance we attach to our partnership".

"The European Union and CELAC jointly account for one third of the world's countries. Together we can have a decisive impact on - just to bring a few examples - the global climate talks, the post-2015 development agenda and the fight against drugs," said Tusk.

The EU-CELAC summit also adopted the Brussels Declaration "Shaping our common future: working together for prosperous, cohesive and sustainable societies for our citizens" and its Action Plan. Endit