On 22th October EU-LAC Foundation President Benita Ferrero-Waldner participated at the VIII International Trade Summit in Lima. Said event was organised by the local Chamber of Commerce and carried out under the topic of “The world of the future and the new business of foreign trade.” Other high-profile guests included bestselling author and advisor to US President Obama Dr George Friedman, Carlos Posada, Minister of Foreign Trade of Peru, and the Directors and Presidents of other Pacific Alliance members’ export promoting agencies.
Dr Ferrero-Waldner’s speech at the conference was entitled “European Union-Latin America: Getting started on the way towards a trade partnership in a new global economic context.” In her address the President pointed out two challenges confronting Peru, as well as other Latin American nations. The main tasks ahead are how to increase the countries’ participation in the global economy firstly, and, secondly, how to live up to the growing demands of an expanding middle class, especially in the matter of the provision of public services. Since we could observe a change of paradigm in the last years and Latin America and the European Union are now equals in the face of global challenges, Dr Ferrero-Waldner suggests the expansion of shared efforts. For example, embarking on common endeavours to promote the integration of SMEs into the global economy is one specific area where future cooperation is not only plausible but also bears a great potential benefits for both sides.
Furthermore, the President used her stay in Lima to engage with the academic community by holding a lecture at the Catholic University of Lima’s Institute of International Studies (IDEI), and to carry out meetings with several media outlets, including a live interview appearance in the Peruvian broadcaster RPP’s morning programme together with the EU-LAC Foundation’s Executive Director Jorge Valdez, an interview with the Peruvian daily El Comercio, as well as another interview with La Cámara, a magazine published by Lima’s Chamber of Commerce.
For the President’s speech [in Spanish] please click here.