Latin America and the Caribbean

The EESC has been working with Latin American and Caribbean counterpart organisations since the 1990s. Several EESC opinions have focused on relations with this region, at regional, sub-regional and national level. The EESC's priorities include the development of civil society organisations, economic and social development, regional integration and cooperation in the multilateral sphere.

In the bi-regional dimension, the EESC organises meetings between civil society organisation representatives in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, as preparatory events ahead of the EU-CELAC Summit.

At sub-regional and national levels, several permanent structures have been established: In 2009, the EESC set up a civil society Round Table with the Brazilian Economic and Social Development Council to provide a forum for dialogue and continuous cooperation between representatives of Brazilian and European civil society. The EU-Brazil Civil Society Round Table is now being revived with the new counterpart, the Sustainable Economic and Social Development Council of Brazil (CDESS). The EU-Chile association agreement gave the EESC a mandate to establish a Joint Consultative Committee with its Chilean civil society counterpart in order to monitor the agreement, which was finally set up in 2016. As regards Central America and the Andean Community countries, the EESC takes part in the two Domestic Advisory Groups monitoring the implementation of the EU-Central America association agreement and the EU-Colombia/Peru/Ecuador trade agreement. It also participates in the EU-CARIFORUM Consultative Committee that monitors the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement. Permanent relations have also been established with the EESC's institutional counterparts in Mercosur (the Economic and Social Consultative Forum).