The Foundation thanks Dr. Leonel Fernández Reyna, who ends his term as President of the EU-LAC Foundation today, for his commendable efforts in support of the various initiatives and activities carried out by the Foundation during the last four years. President Fernández owes the proposal of the priority work topics for the Foundation, approved by the Board of Governors, as well as his management, mediation and promotion of dialogue between academic actors for the construction of the common EU-LAC higher education area.
Dr. Fernández actively accompanied the celebration of different editions of the EU-LAC Reflection Forum in both regions, in addition to collaborating continuously in the editions of the Annual Colloquium with the Institut des Amériques, as a strategic partner of the Foundation, always facilitating in these spaces bridges and channels between government actors and civil society.
During Dr. Fernández term, the EU-LAC Foundation reached its transformation into an international organisation, thus marking an important milestone for the bi-regional association and reinforcing the mandate received by the Foundation from the Heads of State and Government of the countries of the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean to act as a bridge between governments and civil societies of the two regions.
The President of the EU-LAC Foundation is appointed by the Board of Directors of the Foundation with a term of four years. The President exercises his functions ad honorem, representing the Foundation and guaranteeing its visibility at the highest level among the authorities of the Member States of both regions.
According to the principle of equality between the regions, the appointment of the Foundation's authorities is subject to regional rotation. The Presidency alternates between a national of an EU Member State and a national of a Latin American or Caribbean State. In the period 2020-2023 the new President will come from an EU Member State, while the Executive Director will come from a Latin American or Caribbean State.
