The growing absences and divisions on both sides of the Atlantic cast doubt on whether the EU–CELAC summits remain a useful instrument for bi-regional cooperation.

The upcoming EU–CELAC Summit will test whether both regions can turn self-interested pragmatism into an alliance that truly addresses shared priorities.

After more than two decades of promises and disagreements, the Mercosur–European Union agreement remains bogged down amid European protectionism, French agricultural pressure, and South American impatience.

With the closure of USAID, a vacuum has emerged, creating an opportunity for European projects to take center stage in the region.

The signing and ratification of the agreement by the Mercosur states is largely expected; it now depends on the European Union to seize the opportunity to position itself as the antithesis of Trump’s trade policy and reaffirm its role as a regulatory power.

At the beginning of 2024, the huge agricultural mobilizations that paralyzed Europe froze the possibility of concluding the agreement, which was then compounded by the elections to the European Parliament.