La Paz, 1 June 2022 (TDI): Senior officials from Bolivia and the European Union held a meeting in La Paz under the framework of the 8th High-Level Dialogue to strengthen relations.
The Bolivian delegation was led by Vice Foreign Minister Freddy Mamani Machaca. While the Deputy Director-General for the Americas of the European External Action Service, Javier Pérez, chaired the European delegation.
Previously, Bolivian and EU officials held a meeting when Bolivian Foreign Minister, Rogelio Mayta, visited Brussels in October 2021.
The bilateral agenda is centered around several priority areas. The EU grants funding in these areas to its partners, which include environment and climate change, and inclusive economic development.
Economic, Environmental, Cultural, and Educational Cooperation
The Vice Foreign Minister of Bolivia announced that they will develop technical assistance for Bolivian producers to introduce new products to the European market in prioritized sectors.
In addition, they discussed ways to achieve an Investment Agreement between both parties.
Moreover, Minister Mamani proclaimed that they agreed to work together to solve the energy, food, and climate crises.
They further agreed “to continue working so that Bolivia is part of the export of forest products to the EU, within a framework of sustainable development, through the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance, and Trade mechanism,” said Vice Foreign Minister Mamani.
The EU supported Bolivia’s efforts against climate change and they agreed to explore cooperation possibilities through the EUROCLIMA Program.
During the meeting, the EU officials recognized Bolivia’s efforts to counter drug trafficking. They supported Bolivia potentially assuming the co-chairmanship of the Counter-narcotics Cooperation Program between Latin America and the EU.
Furthermore, Bolivia denounced the practices of illicit trade in cultural goods. “As for Euro-Ibero-American cultural diplomacy, we agree to work bilaterally on the recovery and repatriation of cultural assets”, said Mamani.
Meanwhile, the parties agreed to enhance education and science cooperation. The proposed launching joint research and innovation programs and student exchanges.
Bolivia and the EU developed bilateral relations that were established under the Cooperation Framework Agreement of 1993. Both countries signed the Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement in 2003. Bolivia also enjoys the EU GSP+ status.
