Postponed Summit of the Americas Puts Spotlight on EU-CELAC Meeting

The postponement of this year’s Summit of the Americas has inadvertently raised the stakes for the EU-CELAC meeting in Colombia, transforming it into the last high-level multilateral summit to be held in the region in 2024. According to Alexander Main, a policy expert at the Center for Economic and Policy Research, this timing gives the gathering an unexpected significance, particularly as a venue to discuss the region’s most pressing security crisis.
That crisis is a deadly US military operation targeting alleged drug-carrying vessels, which has killed over 60 people. The summit’s host, Colombian President Gustavo Petro, has become a fierce critic of the operation, calling the deaths “extrajudicial executions.” Main’s analysis suggests that with the US not being a party to the EU-CELAC talks, leaders have a unique window to “frankly address” this military deployment without direct diplomatic pushback from Washington.
This unanticipated role as the year’s final regional forum is clashing with the summit’s own internal problems. Its relevance has been openly questioned due to the absence of key European leaders, including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Colombia’s Foreign Ministry has attributed this to scheduling conflicts, but the low turnout has undeniably weakened the European side of the dialogue.
Despite the European no-shows, the Latin American side is bolstered by the presence of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and, in a significant last-minute decision, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Lula’s attendance is seen as pivotal, with his delegation signaling a focus on regional solidarity, particularly with Venezuela, which is also facing military threats from US President Donald Trump.
Therefore, while the official agenda is focused on signing the “Declaration of Santa Marta” on renewable energy and food security, the summit’s de facto purpose has changed. It has become the only available high-level forum for Latin American and Caribbean leaders to formulate a collective response to US military actions, a “priority” issue that has been thrust upon them.