XIV Altiero Spinelli Symposium in Buenos Aires

With original presentations and a high turn-out, the 14^th edition of the Altiero Spinelli Symposium about regional integration in a globalized world, addressed the actual state of the situation regarding the Mercosur-EU Accord signed in 2019.

The event, held on October 26, 2022, at the headquarters of the Organisation of Iberoamerican States (OIE) in Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina, was carried out within the framework of the diplomatic mission to Buenos Aires of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union, Josep Borrell, and his team, including his advisor José Antonio Sanahuja, one of the speakers at the Seminar.

The meeting, organized by the Global Democracy Civil Association, the Altiero Spinelli Foundation, the Altiero Spinelli Chair and with the support of the Delegation of the European Union in Argentina, had as panelists José Antonio Sanahuja, special adviser for Latin America and the Caribbean to the High Representative for foreign policy and security of the EU; Lilia Puig de Stubrin, member of the Parlasur Parliament; Horacio Reyser, secretary of International Economic Relations between 2015 and 2019, and Fernando Pedrosa, specialist in International Relations and President of Democracia Global. The debate moderator was Patricio DeGiorgis, Executive Director of Institutional Management of the Universidad de Belgrano.

The encounter started with the opening words by Fernando Pedrosa, who reminded us of the confusing moment we are currently living in, where the rules of the game are discussed worldwide. He stressed that it is necessary to think about integrating with the European Union.

José Antonio Sanahuja emphasized the deep changes that are currently taking place in the European Union, and the geopolitical, economic, digital and ecological opportunities that may result from the signing of the Mercosur-EU accord for both regions.

He focused his presentation on topics such as the pandemic and how it leads to resilience, how the war in Ukraine gave rise to a Geopolitical Europe, the systemic change that we are experiencing and the impossibility of going back to the previous one.

On the other hand, he pointed out the need for innovation in the field of energy and electricity production. In addition, he spoke about the necessity to explore the sharing of public policies between both regions on this aspect.

Lilia Puig de Stubrin recalled that it took 20 years to reach an agreement, “this proves an enormous capacity of resilience by the States”. Both Stubrin and Sanahuja insisted on the need to treat the agreement as it is, without adding new elements that would favour those actors who are not interested in the agreement being implemented, that is, not giving the opponents the opportunity to find new points to put it in question.

Stubrin also mentioned the special treatment that the agreement had in the Mercosur Parliament in 2021, when it was endorsed by all party blocs in a joint statement.

She also pointed out that “the agreement means the opportunity for Argentina to leave its isolation and enter the European market”. She added that “Our country and the region are prepared to take advantage of and incorporate the ecological and production practices of the European Union”.

Horacio Reyser referred to the current events, starting with the elections in Brazil and the upcoming Argentinian elections in 2023. For Reyser, the combination of these factors will lead to a completely different situation from the one that existed when the Mercosur-EU Accord was first negotiated.

In addition to this, he spoke of de-globalization as a consequence of the pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and how climate change continues to be a cross-cutting issue on the world´s agendas.

Furthermore, he stressed the Accord is an opportunity for intra-Mercosur productive development, through the obligation to accept the European standards. From Reyser´s point of view, it is not a duty free trade accord, but rather a new agreement, more advanced and with modern approaches.

At the end of the presentation, there was room for questions, which led to an interesting debate with the participants, moderated by Patricio De Giorgis.