The EU and Colombia have agreed on a “Memorandum of Understanding on an Agenda of enhanced political and sectoral dialogue and cooperation for the next decade”.
It was signed on Wednesday by High Representative Josep Borrell and the Vice-President and Foreign Minister of Colombia, Marta Lucía Ramírez in New York, in the presence of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the Republic of Colombia, Iván Duque Márquez.
The Memorandum identifies five priorities to guide the development of EU-Colombia relations and lists 12 sectors where cooperation can be increased and/or expanded under the above priorities.
President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Colombia is a key ally of the European Union and a like-minded partner at bilateral, regional and multilateral levels.
Today, we committed to taking our relationship further: working jointly to address global challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Closer engagement is also crucial on climate change and on the environment, and we agreed on an ambitious environmental agenda, as enshrined in the Green Deal and in Colombia’s own policies.”
High Representative/Vice-President, Josep Borrell, said: “Today, we mark another milestone on the path towards ever deeper and broader EU relations with Colombia. This memorandum will not only allow us to strengthen our partnership, further strengthen our cooperation on foreign policy issues, but also opens the prospect of an ambitious new political framework for our relations.
The implementation of the 2016 peace agreement, as contribution to global peace and security, will remain at the heart of our engagement.”
