What changed between the draft committee report and the plenary report

Added:32. Stresses the significant contribution of LAC countries to multilateral organisations and their active role in addressing global challenges, such as climate change, peace and security, including the promotion of the Women, Peace and Security agenda, and sustainable development; highlights the commitment of both regions to defending the UN Charter, human rights, representative democracy and strong multilateral governance; urges both regions to continue defending multilateralism, in particular the UN system, and to jointly lead a reform of global governance institutions, including international financial institutions, to achieve a more inclusive and representative multilateralism;

Added:33. Calls for progress on the conclusion of visa liberalisation agreements with the countries with which discussions are most advanced;

Added:EU-LAC development cooperation, humanitarian aid and sustainable investments through the Global Gateway initiative

Added:34. Recalls that the primary objective of EU development cooperation policy is the reduction and, in the long term, eradication of poverty; stresses that eradicating poverty, particularly among the most vulnerable groups – such as women, girls and persons with disabilities, among others – is essential to addressing growing inequalities that undermine social cohesion and limit economic potential; recalls that the debt burden faced by LAC countries generates severe economic and social costs, with long-lasting effects on poverty and inequality; supports debt restructuring; stresses that the SDGs and the Paris Agreement must remain central to cooperation between LAC and the EU; recalls that access to development aid and finance is particularly crucial for fragile countries, including those more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, in particular Caribbean Small Island Developing States, and for countries transitioning to a higher level of income;

Added:35. Highlights the fact that the EU is the leading contributor to development cooperation in LAC; reiterates the importance of strengthening the EU’s development policies and humanitarian aid in LAC, and calls for the EU and its Member States to strengthen the Union’s other external priorities, including those regarding security, sustainable development and trade, migration, fisheries, agriculture, climate change and energy; calls for the establishment of effective synergies with EU humanitarian assistance, with full respect for the principle of co-ownership, taking account of the LAC region’s development priorities; calls for regular bilateral dialogues and, where relevant, for consultations with local governments and civil society representatives of both regions, including on support for the sustainable development objectives in the EU-LAC association agreements, in particular as a response to the global decline in official development assistance (ODA) and humanitarian aid;

Added:36. Is concerned by the global cuts in funding for development and humanitarian aid, in particular the reduction in ODA and the suspension of the majority of the programmes of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) (up to 83 %), and by the global aid cuts made by several EU Member States, as this funding has been instrumental in supporting the significant social, economic and political transformations in the region; reiterates that these cuts will have long-term implications for the development agenda and the achievement of the SDGs in the LAC region; expresses serious concern about the impact of the recent cuts on the effective participation of civil society and NGOs and their capacity to carry out their activities to promote human rights, democracy and social development in the region, and fight authoritarian regimes; calls, therefore, on the Commission and the Member States to provide adequate development and humanitarian assistance to the LAC region;

Added:37. Stresses that traditional forms of ODA have proven to be essential and effective in reducing poverty, addressing growing inequalities, improving health and education outcomes and fostering social cohesion in the LAC region, in particular as regards the inclusion of under-represented and marginalised groups, such as girls, women, young people, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and people of African descent;

Added:38. Calls for full civil society participation in the design, implementation and monitoring of EU programmes to ensure policy coherence for sustainable development;

Added:39. Highlights the strategic potential of triangular cooperation between the EU, the countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and LAC partners to enhance the impact of development, mutual learning and policy innovation; stresses that such partnerships, when aligned with local priorities and focused on capacity building, can foster inclusive solutions to global challenges; calls for the EU to scale up support for triangular cooperation initiatives within the NDICI-Global Europe framework and to systematically integrate them into the EU-LAC strategic agenda;

Added:40. Calls for the EU and its Member States to leverage major initiatives such as the Global Gateway to increase investment in LAC, ensuring that the EU remains a strong and competitive partner for LAC countries, given the growing Chinese and Russian presence in the region, as clearly shown by China’s commitments during the China-CELAC forum held on 13 May 2025; stresses that increasing EU investment in Latin America is all the more important because of the intensification of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in Latin America, with Colombia signing up to the BRI at the China-CELAC forum of 13 May 2025; calls on the Commission to deliver on the projects and strategies planned under the Global Gateway framework, in order to, among other objectives, build sustainable and high-quality infrastructure that effectively creates local value, strengthens bi-regional value chains and enhances economic security for both regions; insists that the Global Gateway should always adhere to fundamental EU values, including respect for human rights, good governance, democracy and transparency, and environmental sustainability in line with the EU’s development effectiveness principles; urges the EU and its Member States to ensure that investments made under the Global Gateway framework include stringent due diligence processes;

Added:41. Calls for the effective implementation of the EU-LAC Global Gateway Investment Agenda by fostering partnerships between the public and private sectors, with a view to supporting sustainable development, inclusive growth and employment, as well as a just green and digital transformation; calls on the Commission to ensure, from inception to delivery, that these investments are aligned with the objectives of the SDGs and the sustainable development priorities identified by LAC partners, including through regular consultations with local authorities and civil society representatives and through impact assessments and evaluations, and that they are responsive to local and regional needs, are gender-sensitive and generate meaningful development outcomes;

Added:42. Stresses the importance of creating the right conditions for mobilising both public and private investment to support sustainable development; stresses, in this regard, the need to address the USD 99 billion annual financing gap in the region for SDG-aligned infrastructure and climate projects to drive the just green and digital transition; highlights the key role of the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) in mobilising investments to achieve these goals, and the role played by the European Investment Bank (EIB), in particular EIB Global, within the EFSD+ framework, in addressing the persistent lack of long-term financing and technical expertise for green investments in the region, as shown by the 2024 survey by the EIB and the Latin American Association of Development Financing Institutions; supports deeper cooperation with local financial institutions and regional development banks, and calls for increased use of EFSD+ guarantees to support small-scale, high-impact projects involving civil society and local communities, in line with the Global Gateway and the EU’s development effectiveness principles;

Added:43. Underlines that cooperation between the EU and LAC on both critical raw materials and technology is essential to achieving fair, green and digital transformations and to strengthening strategic autonomy in both regions based on mutually beneficial partnerships; underlines that such cooperation helps to overcome LAC economies’ dependence on primary commodities (agricultural products and natural resources) and plays an important role in strengthening value chains through sustainable reindustrialisation policies that create decent jobs, promote environmental sustainability and foster an environment conducive to technological innovation; recommends enhanced cooperation on digital education and research between EU and LAC universities and innovation hubs;

Added:44. Stresses the need for Global Gateway investments in the LAC region to prioritise closing infrastructure and inequality gaps, including digital and energy poverty, particularly in rural and peripheral areas, to ensure that the benefits of enhanced connectivity reach underserved populations; emphasises that this includes young people and the informal sector, and that affordable access to the internet and enhanced digital literacy should be ensured across all segments of the population, particularly in marginalised communities, with a view to actively bridging the digital divide;

Added:45. Stresses that young people, who are essential agents of structural change, continue to face major barriers in accessing decent employment, and underlines that Global Gateway priorities must support investments in education, vocational training and employment policies that are aligned with the needs of the future labour market;

Added:46. Recalls, furthermore, the importance of prioritising programmes already identified by international and civil society organisations as effective, such as investment in health and care systems; calls, particularly in light of the region’s vulnerability, for the effective inclusion of persons with disabilities to ensure an inclusive, accessible and effective approach to health and care;

Added:47. Recalls that trade and association agreements allow both regions to exchange and invest in a broad range of different sectors, and highlights the fact that reducing inequalities, promoting access to health, education and water, and upholding human dignity and fundamental rights must remain central to the EU-LAC partnership, in line with TFEU Article 208 and NDICI-Global Europe;

Added:48. Stresses the importance of enhanced transparency, accountability and local relevance, and welcomes the creation of a Commission webpage with information on existing Global Gateway initiatives; calls on the Commission to publish further details, including the results of consultations with local authorities and civil society from both regions, as well as information on compliance with the SDGs and the priorities of both the EU and the partner countries, with benchmarks and indicators; urges the broadest application of the Commission’s inequality marker (I-Marker), in particular with regard to the Global Gateway, which should at all times comply with a rights-based approach and be linked to human development indicators; highlights, in addition, the importance of social and environmental protection in the EU-CELAC dialogue;

Added:49. Emphasises that there must be a continuous evaluation of the Global Gateway to assess its effectiveness and strategic direction; calls, in this regard, for a stronger role for Parliament in the oversight of the Global Gateway initiative and in steering it strategically, particularly with regard to its implementation in LAC, in order to ensure transparency, democratic accountability, alignment with EU values and the effective use of resources;

Added:50. Calls on the Commission to ensure the full participation of civil society in the design, implementation and monitoring of EU programmes to ensure policy coherence for sustainable development, establishing effective synergies with all projects related to the Global Gateway and EU humanitarian assistance;

Added:51. Stresses that, alongside the Global Gateway initiative, traditional cooperation channels in LAC countries must be preserved; calls on the EU to increase funding for human rights, democracy and civil society programmes in the region, and to ensure that allocations to the Americas and Caribbean geographical programme under NDICI Global Europe – currently the lowest among all regions – are at least maintained;

Added:52. Urges the Commission and the LAC countries to increase efforts to address the underlying causes of human and natural disasters, by strengthening prevention, preparedness, resilience and response policies and cooperation; welcomes the bi-regional memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the area of integrated disaster risk management, signed in Barbados on 15 May 2024, and invites partners who have not yet signed it to do so as soon as possible;

Added:53. Points out that European cooperation and investment not only promote economic development in the region but also contribute to peace by generating economic alternatives for young people in the Latin American region; stresses that the latter is an essential element in combating organised crime; underlines the importance of strengthening bi-regional cooperation on security in its broadest sense, including in areas such as the climate, food, health and social security, of implementing joint preparedness, prevention and response mechanisms, and of fully integrating human rights and humanitarian principles into EU-LAC security cooperation, in order to break the cycles of violence and exclusion in the LAC region;

Added:54. Welcomes the EU’s ambition to lead the global green transition and acknowledges its recognition of Latin America as a key partner in this effort; underlines the need to jointly drive global green initiatives that respond to global climate change mitigation and adaptation goals; stresses the need to promote a just and inclusive ecological transition in both regions, including through enhanced EU-LAC cooperation on climate change adaptation and mitigation, and to respond to extreme climate events, with a particular focus on critical areas, such as the protection of biodiversity, the restoration of ecosystems, decarbonisation and sustainable agriculture, and the most vulnerable people and communities;

Added:55. Stresses that climate change is disrupting food systems in Latin America and highlights the value of agroecology, which has been recognised as a key climate change-resilient farming system;

Added:56. Recalls the importance of the EU-Amazon Basin cooperation programme in improving the capacity of the Amazon Basin countries to fight deforestation and forest degradation;

Added:57. Calls for stronger commitments to uphold the rights of indigenous peoples and to integrate these rights into the dialogue and all dimensions of cooperation with LAC countries, as set out in the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

Added:58. Recalls the importance of promoting sustainable and responsible mining, which protects the rights and livelihoods of local communities and indigenous peoples, prevents severe negative social and environmental impacts and helps overcome dependency on commodity exports, thereby supporting sustainable reindustrialisation policies that create decent jobs and promote environmental sustainability through effective mineral resource governance;

Added:59. Underlines the need to support gender-responsive development cooperation and proposes the implementation of targeted measures to address and reduce inequalities between men and women, including, but not limited to, the promotion of women’s access to decent work, financial inclusion, and leadership and entrepreneurial roles, particularly in rural and informal sectors; highlights that in many regions of the world micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) are often the driving force of local economies, with a growing number of women leading them; underlines that MSMEs account for 90 % of businesses, 60-70 % of employment and 50 % of GDP worldwide; stresses the crucial role of MSMEs in contributing to the 2030 Agenda and achieving the SDGs, particularly those related to poverty eradication and decent work for all;

Added:60. Welcomes the Bi-regional Pact for Care initiative, which has the objective of promoting cooperation on comprehensive care systems and public policies among the countries of both regions, including by drawing up cooperation and financing mechanisms to achieve a fairer and more inclusive economy;

Added:61. Calls for enhanced cooperation between the EU and LAC countries to combat gender-based violence through comprehensive education, awareness-raising campaigns and the strengthening of legal protections; supports initiatives under NDICI-Global Europe and the Gender Action Plan III that promote youth employment, education and the political participation of women;

Added:62. Highlights the vital role of civil society in shaping and monitoring inclusive social policies, promoting equitable access to quality education and fostering sustainable and inclusive economic growth in LAC; expresses serious concern about the shrinking of civic space in many Latin American countries; calls, in this regard, for increased EU support for civil society organisations, human rights defenders, environmental activists and journalists, who are facing increasing threats and violence, to ensure that they can carry out their work safely and independently; calls for prioritising their safety, access to justice and freedom of expression and for strengthening the EU’s partnership with civil society actors, whose role is essential in addressing key concerns and facilitating a constructive dialogue on human rights and the democratic transition, and who are heavily reliant on aid assistance programmes for their operations;

Added:63. Underlines the importance of EU support for strengthening social protection systems in LAC, including integrated social registries, better coordination of schemes and joint pilot projects, particularly with civil society and local authorities, as key drivers of inclusion and poverty reduction in the EU-LAC partnership;

Added:Cooperation on security and combating drug trafficking

Added:64. Is mindful of the increase in organised crime and drug trafficking in both the EU and LAC and the unprecedented quantities of illicit drugs trafficked to the EU from the region primarily through its ports; is particularly concerned about the rising challenge to security in both regions posed by the transnational coordination of criminal organisations based in LAC and the EU; highlights the need to strengthen cooperation not only with drug-producing countries but also with transit countries in LAC, and to enhance multilateral cooperation to combat these threats; calls for strengthening the EU-LAC Partnership on Justice and Security, EL PAcCTO 2.0, COPOLAD, EUROFRONT, the Global Illicit Flows Programme (GIFP) and the European Ports Alliance;

Added:65. Recognises the importance of the Latin American Committee for Internal Security (CLASI) in building a common and shared security framework in LAC; stresses that CLASI is a key instrument in achieving greater integration and effectiveness in the fight against crime in the region; welcomes the continued strategic engagement between interior and/or security ministers of the EU Member States and the ministers with responsibility for security matters in the member states of CLASI, as well as at the technical level, to strengthen operational law enforcement cooperation between the EU and LAC; welcomes the adoption of a Joint Declaration and a Roadmap on Operational Cooperation Priorities in 2025-2026; calls for establishing similar cooperation in the areas of justice and border management;

Added:66. Invites the Commission to strengthen and expand support for cooperation between LAC partner countries and relevant EU agencies, including EUROPOL, EUROJUST and EUDA, and strengthen their working arrangements; applauds the idea of establishing a partnership between LAC ports and the European Ports Alliance; underlines the importance of progressing with AI technologies and strengthening cooperation between ports and authorities in combating drug trafficking; calls for joint enforcement initiatives, operational partnerships and intelligence sharing; welcomes Members States’ concrete contributions in this regard;

Added:67. Welcomes efforts to strengthen regional security cooperation through the expansion of CLASI and the establishment of AMERIPOL as a formalised law enforcement body, facilitating cross-border coordination; stresses the need for the ratification of the Treaty establishing AMERIPOL in order for it to become fully effective, and calls on the signatory countries to initiate their constitutional ratification procedures;

Added:68. Highlights the need to address the root causes of organised crime, including corruption, weak governance and social inequality, and advocates for an approach that combines law enforcement with long-term social policies and other cross-sector strategies, with a view to ensuring a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to citizen security; points to the benefits of Association Agreements and other bilateral agreements between the EU and LAC as essential tools for collaboration with partner countries to address the root causes of organised crime and combat the trafficking of illicit drugs;

Justice, human rights and the rule of law

Change 3

Removed:16. Welcomes the continued cooperation between the EU and LAC to uphold democracy, human rights and good governance, with the EU’s electoral observation missions playing a key role in supporting fair elections and ensuring transparency;

Added:69. Underlines the importance of ensuring that judicial reforms in LAC respect judicial independence and comply with international rule of law standards; calls for ensuring that such reforms contribute to strengthening democratic governance and maintaining judicial integrity; stresses the need to combat political ties to corruption and organised crime; calls on the authorities to uphold the rule of law and the right to peaceful assembly, respect due process, and guarantee the safety and integrity of members of the judiciary and detainees; commits to supporting the LAC countries in these efforts;

Removed:Parliamentary cooperation

Added:70. Welcomes the continued cooperation between the EU and LAC to uphold and promote democracy, human rights and good governance, and to strengthen political stability; underlines the fact that the integrity and transparency of electoral processes are fundamental pillars of the EU-LAC partnership;

Removed:17. Welcomes the deepening of parliamentary cooperation between the EU and LAC, particularly through the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly, which promotes dialogue on key issues such as trade, security and sustainable development;

Added:71. Highlights the fact that the EU’s electoral observation missions play a key role in supporting fair elections and ensuring transparency, as demonstrated by recent missions in Guatemala, Paraguay and Ecuador, and as planned for upcoming missions in Bolivia, Guyana and Honduras in 2025, and Peru and Colombia in 2026;

Removed:18. Points out the crucial role of parliamentary diplomacy in strengthening bi-regional relations by facilitating direct dialogue with national and regional parliaments;

Added:72. Calls for enhanced EU-LAC cooperation to counter disinformation campaigns and hybrid threats, particularly those originating from authoritarian states such as Russia, China and Iran, which aim to undermine democratic institutions, electoral integrity and public trust in both regions; emphasises the importance of strengthening digital literacy programmes in response to growing hybrid threats and misinformation, to give citizens the skills they need to critically evaluate online information;

Removed:Recommendations for the EU-CELAC November 2025 summit

Added:Cooperation on human rights

Removed:19. Welcomes the EU-CELAC meeting in 2023 and the implementation of initiatives under the EU-CELAC Roadmap 2023-2025; underlines, in this regard, the need to adopt a new and ambitious roadmap at the 2025 summit that further strengthens the partnership and takes into account best practices;

Added:73. Stresses that growing repression, deteriorating conditions under autocratic regimes and deepening economic instability in some parts of LAC are forcing many to flee in search of protection, economic opportunities and basic rights; notes with concern the resulting large-scale displacement, particularly from Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela, and cross-border migration within the region; underlines the increasing humanitarian, social and institutional pressures this places on democratic countries hosting significant numbers of migrants and asylum seekers; stresses, therefore, the need for comprehensive cooperation and solidarity among countries of origin, transit and destination, and highlights the importance of coordinated responses to ensure the rights, dignity, and safety of all migrants and refugees; emphasises the importance of inclusive policies for integrating migrants into host communities, as well as the positive contributions that migrants from the region make to society and the economy;

Removed:20. Calls for the parties to reaffirm their joint commitment to multilateralism and peace at the November 2025 summit;

Added:74. Stresses that cooperation on protecting human rights is fundamental to the EU–LAC relationship; highlights the need to develop strategies to strengthen the rights of Afro-descendants and indigenous peoples in LAC; recognises the alarming increase in feminicide across LAC; emphasises the urgency of combating femicide by strengthening policies to combat gender-based violence, facilitating land ownership and employment opportunities and guaranteeing access to education; highlights the need to continue cooperating on these issues;

Removed:21. Calls for the parties to strongly condemn Russia’s ongoing war of aggression, in particular all its serious violations of international law and international humanitarian law;

Added:75. Is deeply concerned that a significant part of Haiti remains under the control of armed organised criminal groups responsible for widespread violence and serious human rights abuses; calls for a coordinated strategy between LAC partners, EU Member States and the United States to address this crisis and to support the Haitian people in restoring stability, democratic governance and the rule of law; stresses that the participation of all relevant stakeholders, including NGOs, in this process is essential; calls for the EU to urgently strengthen its political, humanitarian and economic support for Haiti within the framework of the EU-LAC partnership, acknowledging that current efforts remain insufficient to address the scale of the crisis and to support the Haitian people in restoring stability, democratic governance and the rule of law;

Removed:22. Considers it important that the EU and LAC agree to jointly drive global green initiatives, such as the negotiations for an international treaty to avoid plastic pollution;

Added:76. Underlines the vital role of civil society in the EU–LAC relationship; strongly condemns the assassinations of human rights defenders and the systematic violations of press freedom; expresses deep concern over the targeted persecution, criminalisation, arbitrary detention and systematic repression of opposition members, indigenous peoples, students, NGOs and religious leaders in several countries; condemns the misuse of criminal law to silence dissent and suppress legitimate criticism;

Removed:23. Encourages continued strong cooperation on digital matters through the EU-LAC Digital Alliance with a view to fostering a human-centric digital transformation in both regions;

Added:77. Stresses the need for human rights cooperation to also include strengthening institutions and judicial independence and ensuring universal access to justice, including protecting human rights defenders, environmental activists and journalists and safeguarding their work across both regions; condemns recent anti-NGO laws in some LAC countries that restrict the operations, funding and independence of NGOs;