At the end of the EU-Chile summit which took place today in the framework of the IV EU-LAC Summit in Vienna, Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel, the President of the European Council, described Chile as a great friend of Europe.
"We had an excellent meeting today and we see that Chile is moving in the right direction. Direct investment by the European Union and Chile amounts to around 10 billion euros. We have had very intensive discussions on energy and on further deepening our economic relations. The agreement on the European Union's budget has shown that a family of 25 members can function very well. This could also serve as an example for other regional cooperation groupings ", Schüssel stated.
According to Schüssel, the most important result of the summit so far has been the opportunity to have bilateral talks. "There have been around 200 bilateral meetings between the Heads of State and Government of Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe in the framework of this summit. At a time when we are particularly dependent on networks, we need specific places to meet." The summit had already produced concrete results, he said. "The EU-LAC Business Summit agreed the common goal of doubling trade and investment in the next 5 years. The EU has produced an extremely ambitious programme for helping the poor in Latin America. We have chosen the path of practical cooperation."
Michelle Bachelet, the President of Chile, referred to the close economic relations between Europe and Chile, which had been steadily improved as a result of the association agreement concluded in 2002. "But we also have common interests in other areas and share common values. Our cooperation is founded on a solid basis. The European Union will support Chile with measures for small and medium-sized businesses and assistance for poor families. Chile views its cooperation with the EU very positively. We will continue on this successful path", she said.
According to the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, Chile is a political success story: "We have encouraged Chile to use its influence in South America. We are very pleased at how well our association agreement is working. Our economic relations are a win-win situation. It is very encouraging that the European Commission's programmes can be continued following the agreement on the Union's budget."
The Finnish President Tarja Halonen also expressed her satisfaction at the results of the summit so far and promised to continue the discussions during Finland's presidency of the EU Council.
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