MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Low Attendance and Diplomatic Tensions at EU-Celac Summit

The encounter was attended by only nine heads of state or government, featuring numerous notable absences and last-minute cancellations

The fourth summit between the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (Celac) kicked off on Sunday in the Colombian city of Santa Marta, amid significant diplomatic friction and a noticeable lack of high-level engagement from both blocs.

The encounter was attended by only nine heads of state or government, featuring numerous notable absences and last-minute cancellations, including that of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

Representatives arrived to discuss a wide-ranging agenda that included trade, energy transition, and cooperation in the fight against organized crime. However, the proceedings were immediately complicated by the ongoing controversy over US military actions in the Caribbean and Pacific.

“We share the same values, we believe in the rule of law and democracy,” said European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas, who represented the EU at the event. “Force can only be used for two reasons, either in self-defense or by virtue of a UN Security Council resolution,” she added in reference to US attacks against alleged drug smugglers in the region.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro had earlier denounced what he described as US pressure against attendance at the event. He also urged Europe and Latin America to act as a “unified beacon” capable of standing up to and correcting “any barbarity.”

In a letter addressed to the Celac heads of state and in statements by Foreign Minister Yván Gil, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro made an urgent call for the summit to take a firm stance against the increasing military deployment in the Caribbean region.

Maduro evoked the legacy of Liberator Simón Bolívar, whose final proclamation was issued in Santa Marta, arguing that regional unity is the “condition of our freedom.”

Key demands from Venezuela included proclaiming the “unconditional defense of our America as a Zone of Peace,” and categorically rejecting the militarization of the Caribbean, in addition to demanding an immediate end to military attacks, which he compared to historical subjugation efforts, and calling for an independent investigation into reported civilian deaths described by UN experts as “executions.”

Caracas also demanded the immediate lifting of all unilateral and illegal coercive measures, including those imposed by the EU, and reiterating condemnation of the “inhumane blockade” against Cuba. Maduro stressed that Latin America and the Caribbean were free peoples who demand “consistency and respect” and will “not accept sanctions as a method of political punishment.”

The summit attempts to forge common strategies on global challenges like climate change, food security, and digital transformation, but the low participation and explicit diplomatic tensions regarding sovereignty and external military influence are expected to dominate the closed-door proceedings.