Prof. Paula W. Almeida, director of the FGV Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, attended both the “Conversatorio Europa, Latinoamérica y el Caribe en el escenario global actual”, organised by EU-LAC Foundation and the Department of International Studies and Communication of the Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO), and the Meeting of Research Centers and Study Associations based in Latin America and the Caribbean dedicated to the analysis of the European Union and Bi-regional relations between Latin America and the Caribbean and Europe, organised by EU-LAC Foundation.

On November 12th 2022, Prof. Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida attended the first day of the Meeting of Research Centres and Study Associations based in Latin America and the Caribbean dedicated to the analysis of the European Union and Bi-regional relations between Latin America and the Caribbean and Europe, organised by EU-LAC Foundation / Fundación EU-LAC and held at Centro de Estudios Europeos del Ecuador (CEE), Universidad San Francisco de Quito.

Following welcoming remarks by the organisers, Prof. Paula represented the Centre of Excellence in the presentation of Research Centres and Associations, moderated by Anna Barrera from EU-LAC Foundation, and participated in the panels on Recent global challenges and their impact on the research agendas of the centres and associations, recent global scenarios and their implications for the centres’ and associations’ transfer of information and knowledge, and the challenges and opportunities that emerged for EU-CELAC bi-regional cooperation against the background of the new global scenarios.

The meeting, on November 12th, reunited 21 professors from 17 institutions all over Latin America and the Caribbean, the Head of the EU Delegation to Ecuador (Charles-Michel Geurts), the Ambassador of Argentina in Ecuador (Gabriel Fuks) and the designed Ambassador of Czech Republic in Ecuador (Josef Hlobil) at the Centro de Estudios Europeos del Ecuador, Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Also participated in the event Paulina Astroza Suárez (Universidad de Concepción), Eric Tremolada (Universidad Externado de Colombia) and Michel Levi (Universidad Simon Bolívar). The participants engaged in an open exchange on the recent challenges for EU-LAC relations, as well as the effects of these developments on their respective research agendas and their capacity to influence Bi-regional cooperation.

On November 13th, Prof. Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida and the other participants continued the discussions on the impact of research centres and associations on decision-making processes at national and European level and shared interests, complementarities and possible joint efforts between the research centres and associations, moderated by Adrian Bonilla from EU-LAC Foundation and Régis Dandoy from the Centro de Estudios Europeos del Ecuador, USFQ.

Following brainstorming on joint efforts to strengthen the policy-making process in EU-LAC agendas, Prof. Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida presented on International Conflicts and the role of International Organizations as a part of the Panel “Conversatorio Europa, Latinoamérica y el Caribe en el escenario global actual”, with Eric Tremolada (Universidad Externado de Colombia) and Raúl Salgado (FLACSO Ecuador). Adrian Bonilla (EU-LAC Foundation and FLACSO Ecuador) also participated, addressing closing remarks.

The FGV Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence would like to thank the EU-LAC Foundation and FLACSO Ecuador for the organisation and for the kind invitations to discuss extremely relevant themes in both events.