City-regions and their role in the Euro-Latin American relations

Publication Name
Regional Studies/Regional Science
Volume, number, page
2:1, pp.363-370
Year of Publication
2015
Author(s)
KOCH Florian
Publisher
Taylor & Francis Ltd.
ISBN or ISSN
2168-1376
Considered Countries
Colombia
Theme
Subregion - European Union
Country - European Union
BIREGIONAL RELATIONS UE - LAC
BIREGIONAL DIALOGUES UE-LAC
Government
Keyword(s)
Regional Integration
European Union
European Union Policy
Interregional international relations
Interregional Cooperation
Interregional Relations
Interregionalism
Biregional Co-operation
Foreign Policy
Foreign policy cooperation
Foreign policy strategies
Colombia's foreign policy
International Relations
Biregionalism
Cities
Latin America
Abstract
This paper argues that a new agenda for the relations between the European Union (EU) and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is necessary, and that city regions can play an important role in it. Due to the shortcomings of the previous interregional strategy and the futile discussion if Latin America follows the European integration model, this new agenda should focus more on triangular and decentralized forms of cooperation aid, trade issues, and the knowledge transfer of poverty- and polarization-reduction strategies. Based on the foreign policy approaches of two Colombian case studies (the city-regions of Barranquilla and Medellin), it is shown that the international activities of Latin American city-regions can open new perspectives for EU–LAC relations.