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China, the EU and Latin America : current issues and future cooperation
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AFormatinSearchofSubstance AnOverviewofRelationsbetweentheEUandLatinAmericainaEuropeanPerspective 05 disenchantmentisduetoexaggeratedexpectations withregardto Europes interestinLatinAmerica forothersitdemonstratesalossofinterestinLatin AmericabytheEU.Therefore thereisgrowingcriticism oftheEuropean Commissionwhich fromthestandpointofLatin Americanpoliticians isnot respondingadequatelytothechangesintheirregionandtheneedsoftheir people.Forinstance whileEuropeisofferingpoliticaldialoguetoitsLatin Americancounterparts thelatterexpectnegotiationsonfreetradeagreements andaccesstotheEuropeanSingleMarket.Inthiscontext aclimateofsuspicion andalossofconfidencehasarisen. 2.3 TheStructureofRelations FromthepointofviewofLatinAmericangovernments biregionalrelations withEuropehavechangedinparticularsincetheEU begantointegratenew memberstates.Firstofall thenew memberstateshavenotshown much interestintheregionandarekeenerondevelopingrelations with Asia.The EasternEuropeancountriesconsiderLatinAmerican marketstobenotvery interestingornotworthtryingtoconquer.Thereforethetraditionalmember states suchasSpain Franceand Germany continuetobeLatin Americas preferredcounterpartsin Europe eventhoughitisalsolookingfor more intensivecontacts withthe East.In addition thegrowing diversityinthe EuropeanUnion thedisparitybetweennewandoldmembersandthedifferent ratesofintegrationindifferentpolicyareashavecalledintoquestionEuropean leadershipininternationalpoliticsinLatinAmericaneyes.ForLatinAmerica Europeanpoliticslacksinternalconsensus whiletheEU hasdevelopeda tendencytodrawitswagonsintoacircleandtointensifyrelationswithitsnear neighbours inturnneglectingrelationswithregionsfurtheraway suchasLatin America. Spaincontinuestobethe majorportofentryfortheLatin American countries although Spainsparticipationin Latin American publicservices privatisationprocessesoverthepastdecadehasledtoacertaindistancing.The smallerand mediumsizedcountriesoftheregioninparticularseemtohave difficultyactingstrategicallyinthefaceofthesocalled Europeanjungle asa resultofwhichtheyarelookingfora gatekeeper inordertocometoterms withtheEU. ThereisgrowingconcerninLatinAmericaabouttheEuropeantendencyto talkaboutthenew Left movements partiesandgovernmentsintheregionas iftheycomprisedan homogenousdevelopment.From the Latin American perspectivethissimplifyingandgeneralisingviewseemstoproveonceagainthe