Cooperation on territorial cohesion: top agenda point at EU-Latin American Summit

The Heads of State and Government of the EU and of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), and the Presidents of the European Council and the European Commission, met in Brussels on 10 and 11 June 2015 for the second EU-CELAC Summit.

As the title of the event "Shaping our common future: working together for prosperous, cohesive and sustainable societies for our citizens" suggests, cooperation on territorial cohesion policy was a key point on the agenda, and the results can be seen clearly in the Declaration and Action Plan agreed by both sides.

In paragraph 64 of the Brussels Declaration, it is stated that the EU and CELAC "…remain committed to achieving higher levels of social inclusion and economic, social and territorial cohesion, equality and access to public services…We welcome close collaborations in addressing urbanisation challenges in a comprehensive way."

This is further developed in paragraph 65 where both sides "…highlight the importance of bi-regional dialogue on urban development and the strengthening of local governments, including through voluntary initiatives such as the Latin American Network of Public Policies for Regional Development in order to facilitate the sharing of experiences and knowledge on national policies of regional development, in pursuit of greater territorial cohesion within their countries.

In the EU-CELAC Action Plan, under key area 3, it is foreseen that both sides, "Engage in a dialogue on territorial cohesion and equity and on regional development policies, with a particular focus on cross border cooperation and on territorial development strategies, to strengthen the capacity of the regional and urban authorities to promote economic development and innovation and social inclusion and cohesion".

• Political declaration, Brussels declaration and action plan of the 2nd EU-CELAC summit