The president of Cidob, Josep Borrell, has underlined that it is "imperative" for Latin America to advance in its own political and economic integration, upon detecting an absence of regional strategy that, in his view, leaves it in a position of weakness. Likewise, he has defended the need to intensify trade relations between Latin American countries and the European Union.
He set this out this Monday in Barcelona during the World in Progress (WIP) forum organized by Prisa, in a round table in which he shared the stage with the executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs; the professor at Sciences Po and member of the international council of the Brazilian Center for International Relations (CEBRI), Victor do Prado, and the president of the Business Council Alliance for Ibero-America (CEAPI), Núria Vilanova, who acted as moderator.
Borrell has emphasized that this integration among Latin American countries cannot be designed from the outside and has identified the institutional level as the weakest link and at the same time the most decisive: "That has to be something absolutely endogenous. And there they are not only playing security, sovereignty. Because the security problems in many Latin American countries already affect the sovereignty of the country".
In this context, he has defended that Europe has to get actively involved with Latin America. "If we do not do it, it will contaminate us", he has pointed out, insisting that the EU must support Latin American states to combat the lack of growth and inequality, and strengthen institutions in order to avoid, he noted, violence out of control.
According to Borrell, the Old Continent usually highlights its trade link with the region, "but at the end of the day, only 9% of Latin America's exports go to Europe", and he has suggested that accepting the duty-free entry of all Latin American products into the European market would generate tensions in some sectors, but would send, he said, a powerful political message.
Critical minerals as the basis of integration
The also former high representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Policy has recalled that the European community project began by relying on the coal and steel trade, and has suggested that Latin America could build its own integration around critical minerals: "Start by integrating through lithium, through electricity and through agriculture and political integration will come later," he has recommended.
He has specified that around 70% of the region's mineral resources are sold abroad unrefined, which prevents generating added value and feeds "extractivist" dynamics. He has added that something similar happens with the processing of data, which are sent abroad at no cost because there are practically no local infrastructures for their processing.
Salazar-Xirinachs: optimism with conditions
Salazar-Xirinachs has unpacked the key elements of the CEPAL 2026 report on productive development policies in Latin America and the Caribbean and has launched a message of "optimism" about the region's economic potential. However, he has warned that it is not enough to let the invisible hand of the market act, but rather that solid institutions and effective governance are essential.
In his analysis of the international scenario, he has pointed out that the world has become more complex and there have been "ruptures," such as the erosion of multilateral rules. Even so, he has recalled that Latin America has relevant assets, including natural resources, productive capacities with modern sectors, and a notable 'soft power' in fields such as music, art or literature.
Diving deeper into the global situation, he has called for avoiding "rigid alignments" in the region and has indicated that the new environment creates incentives to diversify alliances. He considers that, with greater integration and the expansion of trade agreements, significant progress can be achieved.
When speaking about Latin American integration he has highlighted both the role of institutions and that of the business fabric, and has cited as an example Central America and the "cross investments" between its countries, despite the political heterogeneity.
Do Prado: the role of Brazil and the relationship with the EU
Do Prado has focused his intervention on the case of Brazil, which he has described as a country with a large economy, a large population, a vast surface area and a notable variety of natural resources. He has argued that Brazil does not aspire to project that weight abroad in an "aggressive" way, but rather by contributing to building a more cohesive Latin America.
Along these lines, after the reelection of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as president, he has pointed out that, although it may seem that Brazil is politically isolated in the regional environment, "there are interests that remain and the role of companies is important".
He has pointed out that the relationship with Mexico may acquire special relevance and has warned that the process of the trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur is causing "a feeling of frustration" in Brazil.