On May 5th, 2021, the FGV held the event “The EU in the post-pandemic world: challenges for external relations and prospects for EU-LAC cooperation” acknowledging the transformative impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the global order and international relations. The event highlighted the new challenges faced by major areas of the EU's external action, including criticism and declining trust in multilateralism, amplified international development needs, severe challenges to democracy and human rights, and the transformation of trade dynamics.

With a focus on the EU's foreign policy and external relations, the event brought together experts in trade, security, and foreign affairs to discuss the challenges posed by the post-pandemic world. The event emphasised the EU's renewed focus on comprehensive approaches, interconnectedness between internal and external policies, and strategic autonomy and resilience.

The opening session featured Paula Wojcikiewicz Almeida from the FGV Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence on EU-South America Global Governance and Ignacio Ybáñez, the Ambassador of the European Union to Brazil, who provided introductory remarks setting the stage for the discussions. Elena Lazarou, representing the European Parliament Research Service and Chatham House, moderated the event and explored the evolving dynamics of the EU's geopolitical positioning and global governance.

The program included discussions on challenges to the future of EU-LAC relations by Gian Luca Gardini from Friedrich-Alexander University, challenges to security and defence policy by Tania Latici from the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS) and Egmont Royal Institute, and EU trade policy by Jana Titievskaia from the EPRS.

The event concluded with a discussion and Q&A session, allowing participants to engage in an interactive exchange of ideas, followed by drawing insightful conclusions and identifying potential avenues for future action and collaboration.

Overall, the event provided a comprehensive platform to address the challenges and opportunities faced by the EU in the post-pandemic world, focusing on external relations and EU-LAC cooperation. By bringing together experts from various fields, the event fostered an informed and engaging dialogue on these pressing issues.

For more information, check the event’s Programme:

 https://direitorio.fgv.br/sites/default/files/2021-06/fgv-eu-day-description_final-version-2021.pdf