Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-11-14-Speech-3-063"
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"en.20011114.3.3-063"2
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"Mr President, the terrorist attacks of 11 September have finally brought it home to us that global crises have global consequences and that the European Union can no longer afford any eurocentrism. This does not mean downgrading the importance of EU enlargement and the stabilisation of the Balkans; it simply means that the Rio process must not suffer the same fate as the Barcelona process or the policies on the Mediterranean. It should not take a terrorist attack for us to give relations with these marginal areas of Europe or the Latin American region, a region which has strong historical and demographic links with Europe, the attention they deserve.
The European Parliament's own-initiative report by Mr Salafranca is therefore timely, coming as it does in advance of the Rio follow-up summit in Madrid in May next year. We need to develop a strategy and give greater priority to our policies on Latin America at every level in order to combat poverty on this continent, consolidate democracy, tackle organised crime and drug trafficking, and, finally, to protect our economic interests. The conclusion of the association agreement with Mexico has had a positive impact on the European business presence in that country, which has benefited both sides. The association agreement with Chile will, we hope, be signed in Madrid in May.
Unfortunately, the negotiations with Mercosur are not progressing as smoothly. I hope that in this context, the Commission and the European Parliament will do their utmost to overcome the hurdles concerning Argentina and Brazil. Free trade is not a one-way street, and more or less concealed protectionism should be a thing of the past. We must also increase awareness of the Latin American region. The establishment of a Centre for European and Latin American Studies would be a welcome step. What Latin America needs, however, are not only association agreements but general strategies to promote an investment-friendly climate, and this can only be achieved if there is political stability and an end to capital flight. Not every dollar earned should be transferred directly to Miami."@en1
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