Brussels / Santiago, 23/09/2021 – 18:00, UNIQUE ID: 210923_18
Joint Statements
- The XVII Meeting of the Chile-European Union Association Committee, established by the 2002 Association Agreement, was held, through videoconference on 22 September 2021. The Committee was co-chaired by the Director for the Americas of the European External Action Service, Mr Javier Niño Perez, and the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile, Mrs Carolina Valdivia. The Parties approved the minutes of the XVI Association Committee, which took place in Santiago on 12 July 2019.
- The Committee reviewed bilateral relations and the implementation of the Association Agreement (AA) and highlighted its positive record. They recognised the development of an intense bilateral agenda, which is reflected by regular political dialogues, with the high-level dialogue on Oceans Governance held on 14-15 September 2021 being the latest.
- The Committee discussed the state of play of the ongoing negotiations of the modernised EU-Chile Association Agreement following the seventh round of negotiations of the Political Dialogue and Co-operation Pillar on 21 September 2021, as well as the ongoing trade negotiations. Both Parties reiterated their commitment to conclude negotiations and agreed that a modernised agreement would allow them to develop a stronger partnership at bilateral and global levels on matters such as multilateralism, climate change, sustainable development and promotion of democracy, human rights and gender equality.
- The Parties shared views on their respective domestic and regional situations, as well as on global affairs, in particular the COVID 19 pandemic and its consequences. They referred to the need to strengthen health systems and the international preparedness for – and response to – future pandemics.
- Both Parties highlighted the ongoing Constitutional Process in Chile and reiterated its readiness to share, as appropriate, its experiences on constitutional processes.
- Concerning the bilateral dialogue and cooperation, the Parties reviewed ongoing initiatives as well as avenues for future engagement. In this context, the joint interest in the development of green hydrogen in Chile, future options for triangular cooperation, and the Development in Transition Fund that supports initiatives on sustainable post-pandemic economic recovery were also discussed.
- In particular, the Parties highlighted the strong transformational potential of the Green Hydrogen for the creation of green jobs, the development of specialised human capital and the promotion of economic diversification.
- On Human Rights, the Parties reiterated their shared commitment to the respect and protection of human rights. Since 2009, the EU and Chile hold an annual dialogue on human rights, with the latest edition held in October 2020, addressing issues such as Multilateral Cooperation; Strengthening of the Institutional Framework and Public Policies for Human Rights and Democracy; Inclusion and Non-Discrimination (LGBTI and Indigenous Peoples); Business and Human Rights and Women’s Rights and Gender Equality. The Parties reiterated their willingness to continue this cooperation, especially through the Annual Dialogue, with the next edition to identify priority areas for joint actions, share information on progress made and exchange ideas on how to move forward with respect to the main pending challenges and to international and national human rights recommendations.
- On climate change, the Parties highlighted Chile’s successful COP25 Presidency, and recognised the valuable EU support to Chile via Euroclima+ to carry out this leadership role. Both parties agreed to continue to advocate for ambitious policies ahead of the COP26 through their bilateral cooperation and together with their international partners based on a shared vision, their ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions and long-term strategies. COP26 should be the occasion where the international community as a whole commits to practical implementation of the Paris Agreement and to a climate-friendly recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Parties welcomed the third EU-Chile High Level Dialogue on ocean governance that took place on 14 and 15 September. The EU and Chile are committed to work together on devising common approaches towards better ocean governance and to advance on issues of shared interest, notably marine protected areas, ocean and climate change, the international legally binding instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) and Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
- Both sides welcomed the forthcoming renewal in January 2022 of the EU-Chile Agreement for Scientific and Technological Cooperation. They agreed on the need to organise the 9th Joint Steering Committee under this Agreement possibly by end 2021, in order to pursue an active bilateral cooperation. Furthermore, both parties expressed satisfaction with their partnership in Mission Innovation, which aims to accelerate clean energy research and innovation.
- The Parties took note of the Seventh Meeting of the Joint Chile-European Union Consultative Committee (JCC) that took place on 03 May 2021.
- The Parties took note of the continuous intersessional contacts between the members of the Joint Parliamentary Committee, maintained despite the constraints of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The Parties resolved that the XVIII EU-Chile Association Committee shall be held in Santiago in the course of 2022.
Source – EEAS: https://eeas.europa.eu/headquarters/headquarters-homepage/104584/joint-communiqu%C3%A9-xvii-eu-chile-association-committee_en