US–EU Cooperation: Strengthening Democracy in Latin America
Latin America has seen a marked decline in the strength of its democratic institutions in recent years. Three countries in the region are widely considered non-democratic and in many others, leaders are restricting basic civil liberties, such as the freedom of the press. The accelerating democratic backsliding is raising concerns in the United States and among the region’s partners in the European Union. The Spanish presidency of the Council of Europe in the second half of 2023 has generated greater interest in the defense of democracy in the Americas and created an historic opportunity to improve coordination between the United States and EU to address this urgent challenge.
Please join the Wilson Center’s Latin America Program and the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, in partnership with the Spanish Embassy in the United States and the European Union Delegation in Washington, on Monday, November 13, from 10am to 11:30am ET, for a discussion on how the United States and EU could deepen their joint efforts to defend democracy in the Americas, including by strengthening the Inter-American Democratic Charter and its implementation; increasing support for civil society institutions in the Americas; expanding support for elections, including through election monitoring; and coordination in international institutions in support of democracy and human rights in Latin America and the Caribbean.
This is the first in three high-level dialogues on US-EU cooperation in the Americas. A previous dialogue addressed US-EU coordination on commercial issues in Latin America, and our next conversation will discuss US-EU partnerships to protect Latin America’s seas and forests.
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Hosted By
Latin America Program
The Wilson Center’s prestigious Latin America Program provides non-partisan expertise to a broad community of decision makers in the United States and Latin America on critical policy issues facing the Hemisphere. The Program provides insightful and actionable research for policymakers, private sector leaders, journalists, and public intellectuals in the United States and Latin America. To bridge the gap between scholarship and policy action, it fosters new inquiry, sponsors high-level public and private meetings among multiple stakeholders, and explores policy options to improve outcomes for citizens throughout the Americas. Drawing on the Wilson Center’s strength as the nation’s key non-partisan policy forum, the Program serves as a trusted source of analysis and a vital point of contact between the worlds of scholarship and action. Read more
Global Europe Program
The Global Europe Program is focused on Europe’s capabilities, and how it engages on critical global issues. We investigate European approaches to critical global issues. We examine Europe’s relations with Russia and Eurasia, China and the Indo-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Our initiatives include “Ukraine in Europe”—an examination of what it will take to make Ukraine’s European future a reality. But we also examine the role of NATO, the European Union and the OSCE, Europe’s energy security, transatlantic trade disputes, and challenges to democracy. The Global Europe Program’s staff, scholars-in-residence, and Global Fellows participate in seminars, policy study groups, and international conferences to provide analytical recommendations to policy makers and the media. Read more
Brazil Institute
The Brazil Institute—the only country-specific policy institution focused on Brazil in Washington—aims to deepen understanding of Brazil’s complex landscape and strengthen relations between Brazilian and US institutions across all sectors. Read more