The Pacific Alliance (PA) – an integration mechanism between Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru – has been welcomed by experts as a successful example of joint nation branding and a motor for deeper economic integration and liberalization of intra-regional trade in Latin America. However, it is not exempt of controversy. Some perceive the PA as a challenge to the broader integration of Latin America. The seminar will discuss the nature of the PA, its role in Latin American integration and the possible opportunities it provides the European Union in its relation with Latin America. The Pacific Alliance is of special interest for European investors and governments because the EU has signed free trade agreements with all its members. The seminar will also discuss the broader relevance of integration processes such as the PA in the current context of increasing protectionism and unilateralism in world trade relations.
Opening remarks: Eduardo Gálvez Carvallo, Ambassador of Chile to Finland
Speakers: Detlef Nolte, Director, GIGA Institute of Latin American Studies
Mario Torres Jarrín, Director, European Institute of International Studies
Comments & Chair:
Mikael Wigell, Senior Research Fellow, the Finnish Institute of International Affairs
Initial remarks by the ambassadors of the PA member countries
For more information, please contact: Marie-Louise Hindsberg, tel. +358 9 432 7712, marie-louise.hindsberg@fiia.fi