Unpacking the EU and Latin American relations in FLACSO Argentina.
Brief considerations about my first EU-Latin American relations conference.
From the 16th of September until the 19th of September 2024, the EU Renew Project organised the international conference on Latin America-Europe Relations in Global Reordering, held in FLACSO, Facultad Latino Americana de Ciencias Sociales, Buenos Aires. EU-RENEW (EU Research and Education Network on Europe in the World) is an Erasmus Jean Monnet Network bringing together 19 outstanding higher education institutions from Europe (9), Asia (3), Africa (4), and the Americas (3) to improve knowledge and enhance debate on ‘Europe in the World’. Led by the KULeuven, EU Renew's editorial team includes, among others, Dr Gustavo Müller, a GEM PhD Alumnus.
A Unique Opportunity to present my research project.
When I saw the call, I thought immediately it was made for me and my research project and that it would have been the occasion to go deeper into one of the aspects of my research: the policy program between the EU and Latin America to the fight organised crime, El PAcCTO, Programa de Asistencia contra el Crimen Transnational Organizado. I presented the work-in-progress paper, ‘Building the interregional rule of law through cooperation in criminal matters: EU-Mercosur and El PAcCTO’. My analysis aimed at scrutinising the role and the function of this Program as a catalyser for the interregional rule of law through qualitative methodology. Indeed, there is no literature on this topic; additionally, the web resources related to El PAcCTO are often too celebrative of the innovative job of the EU, and they do not explain what the innovations are hiding the added value of the Program. Therefore, I conducted semi-structured interviews with officials working in the Program who were open to teaching me how the EU and Latin American countries acted. The availability and openness I found from the interviewees were inspiring to go on in this field-work approach, especially on such a complex and multifaceted topic. From this first research, I can conclude that building political bridges with Latin American countries is crucial, at the same time, the EU is already late and cannot treat the region as a last-minute partner. I realised that while cooperation in criminal matters is highly relevant now (globalisation led to higher circulation of crimes), it is relatively new to the field of EU-Latin American studies, where historically, the focus has been more heavily on economic and trade issues. However, a lot of attention has been paid to the need to protect and promote the rule of law and fundamental rights at the interregional level.
The Broader Discussions surrounding the future of the EU-Latin American Partnership
The conference was vibrant with panels and discussions, from the regional trade agreements – the leader, EU and Mercosur, sustainable development and the influence of other countries, such as China. Researchers presented studies on how the EU and Latin America developed several agreements and programs of cooperation, and we discussed the long process of stable interregional relations. I saw the discussion as a big puzzle in which I added a piece or more day by day. There were panels focused on tech evolution in Latin America and the fact that the region regulates taking inspiration from the EU's approach; at the same time, we faced discussion related to the Education and Social rights systems and their improvements thanks to European Programmes. The most interesting panels for my research concerned the evolution of democratic values in Latin America and the implementation of interregional relations. On this, we had an insightful discussion on the role of colonialism in the EU approach to Latin America. In this regard, the influence of the colonial past cannot be overcome, at the same time, the EU must stop projecting its values as a legal transplant to other regions. On the contrary, there should be collaboration (then cooperation) between peers.
The importance of Academic Network
Last but not least, on Thursday 19th, I had the opportunity to discuss my PhD research in a session dedicated to Young Scholars and their perspectives. Having the chance to confront with young and more experienced academics openly is always useful and thought-provoking. Indeed, meeting people indicating how they did in the past and encouraging you not to give up and to pursue this passion towards regionalism and Latin America was a boost of ‘research energy’. At the same time, talking openly about fear and inequalities in academia and the difficulties of balancing academic life reminded us that, yes, we are all humans and that it is important to support each other. Talking about support and academic networks, it was a pleasant surprise to reconnect with Gustavo, a GEM alumnus, at the conference. Having the chance to talk and open up with a former student of the program is always an added value, and it makes you feel less far from home. The conference brought together 50 scholars from all over the world to discuss the EU and Latin America in a multi-connected world. The level of discussion was extremely high, and it stimulated me to go deeper into certain points of my research, such as the need for horizontal and not vertical dialogue between the EU and Latin America. Academia has a key role in implementing this dialogue, and the networks of academics built up by the RENEW project are part of this improvement.
Trying to understand Argentina in the regional realm
To conclude, the possibility of being physically in Buenos Aires was an added value to understanding and unpacking even more about the Mercosur region and its complexities. Indeed, Argentina is a peculiar country where dissensus over liberal democracy led to the election of a very controversial President, Javier Milei, an ultra-liberal economist who is cutting public funds to Argentinian universities (amongst other things). This vote was related to a general dissatisfaction linked to the serious economic crisis in Argentina, which can be an interesting case study. Additionally, this change is impacting Mercosur regional integration due to the political distance that now Brazil and Argentina are facing, which will not help the interregional dialogue. In sum, the way forward to consistent EU-Mercosur (Latin America) relations is long and complex, but we should not give up!