Home Recent News 2026 Strengthening interparliamentary cooperation and bi-regional dialogue with the European Parliament: Opportunities and challenges

Strengthening interparliamentary cooperation and bi-regional dialogue with the European Parliament: Opportunities and challenges

September 7, 2026 | Activity

In an international context marked by growing fragmentation and an increasingly close interconnection between geopolitical, economic, and technological dynamics, parliamentary cooperation between Europe and the Americas and the Caribbean takes on renewed significance.

In this context, Chilean Senator Iván Flores García, President of ParlAmericas, participated virtually in a meeting of the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (DLAT) of the European Parliament, where he was invited to exchange views with Members of the European Parliament on interparliamentary cooperation and the role of ParlAmericas in strengthening the bi-regional relationship.

DLAT, chaired by Spanish Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Gabriel Mato, is the European Parliament’s delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat), the parliamentary body of the Bi-regional Strategic Partnership between the European Union and Latin America and the Caribbean.

Held on September 7, the meeting also addressed business and economic relations between Latin America and the European Union in light of existing partnership agreements, as part of a broader dialogue on the bi-regional relationship.

During his remarks, Senator Flores emphasized that the ongoing transformations present an opportunity for the countries of Europe, the Americas and the Caribbean to build on their historic economic, political, cultural, and institutional ties as a foundation for greater coordination and joint action.

In this regard, the President of ParlAmericas emphasized the opportunity to deepen parliamentary cooperation, particularly in areas where trade, technological transformation, democratic governance, and security are increasingly intertwined – an issue addressed during the 22nd Plenary Assembly of ParlAmericas and the 10th Meeting of the Open Parliament Network, held in Ottawa, Canada, last May. In the face of an international landscape that tends to limit opportunities for cooperation, he called for strengthening ties between parliaments and reaffirmed ParlAmericas’ willingness to contribute to the strengthening of transatlantic relations. Furthermore, in line with the conclusions of the Ottawa Meeting, he stressed that a robust, effective, and inclusive rules-based international system,grounded in international law, democratic principles, and respect for human rights,is essential for managing these geopolitical and economic transformations, and that the inter-American system plays a fundamental role.

During the meeting, there was an open exchange with Members of the European Parliament on the role of ParlAmericas and the prospects for expanding political dialogue between the two regions. The conversation also addressed how to leverage the framework of agreements and treaties, as well as the long history of cooperation, to foster greater opportunities for investment, productive development, and shared prosperity.