EU Leaders Skip Latin American Summit to Avoid Irking Trump
European leaders including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will skip the EU’s summit with Latin American and Caribbean states due in part to concerns over angering US President Donald Trump.
The European Union-CELAC summit is coming under scrutiny in Europe as the US targets countries including Colombia — which is hosting the summit — and Venezuela over drug trafficking claims, according to people familiar with the matter.
Only five European leaders and three Latin American and Caribbean leaders have confirmed they will attend the meeting, according to other people familiar with the planning. The gathering will take place in Santa Marta, Colombia, on Nov. 9-10.
The low attendance is expected partly because of Washington’s increasingly aggressive stance in the region, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Trump has been boosting his military threats against Venezuela and recently sanctioned Colombian President Gustavo Petro.
Merz is not planning to attend because of “the low participation of other heads of state and government,” said his spokesperson, Stefan Kornelius, in an emailed statement.
That’s also why von der Leyen will skip the meeting, according to Paula Pinho, chief spokesperson for the commission, the EU’s executive arm.
“In light of the current European political agenda and the low participation of other heads of state and government, President von der Leyen is not attending the summit,” Pinho said in an emailed statement, noting that top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas will attend in von der Leyen’s place.
Together, the EU and CELAC represent 60 countries and 21% of global GDP. The summit is meant to discuss issues like strengthening trade ties and fighting organized crime.
Latin American and Caribbean countries also want to use the summit to specifically discuss Trump’s recent moves in the region, including massing US ships near Venezuela, sanctions and threats to seize the Panama Canal, said the people familiar with the planning. The countries also want the EU to back a Latin American or Caribbean candidate to next lead the United Nations.
The gathering is not the first Latin American summit to run into a political buzzsaw. On Monday, the Dominican Republic announced it would postpone a key meeting of leaders from across the Americas until next year as US military strikes on boats in the area intensify tensions with Venezuela and divide the region.
Separately, the EU is hoping to finalize a long-delayed trade deal with the Mercosur group of South American nations by the end of the year.
Source : Bloomberg.com
