Canary Islands to Host Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 25 October – Gabriel Mato, a Member of the European Parliament and president of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat), has announced that the assembly’s XVII Ordinary Plenary Session will be held from 27 to 29 October at the Canary Islands’ Parliament. This event places the islands “at the heart of dialogue” between Europe and Latin America.
Around 200 representatives from both regions are expected to attend, coinciding with EuroLat’s 20th anniversary. Mato emphasized the significant contributions that the Canary Islands can make due to their deep cultural ties to Latin America, saying, “As part of Europe, we have strong human and cultural links with Latin America.”
Mato will share the co-presidency with Daniel Caggiani, the Latin American representative. He noted that the assembly’s importance extends beyond its institutional aspect, highlighting how many Canary Islands families have connections to Latin America. Celebrating the assembly here connects parliamentary work to a relationship that is intimately understood by the locals.
In a time of global uncertainty, Mato stressed the need to maintain dialogue and collaborative efforts to tackle shared challenges.
The activities on Tuesday, 27 October, will focus on meetings of the four permanent committees covering political affairs, security and human rights; economy, finance and trade; sustainable development, environment, energy, research and technology; and social issues, including youth, children, education and culture.
The assembly will formally open on Wednesday, 28 October, at 09:30 with speeches from key figures, including the President of the Canary Islands Government, Fernando Clavijo, and messages from European Parliament President Roberta Metsola and Ibero-American General Secretariat Secretary Andrés Allamand.
The agenda for the day includes a meeting of the Governing Board, the Euro-Latin American Women’s Forum, and discussions on security, terrorism, and crime. The assembly will also engage with civil society. The final day, Thursday, 29 October, will feature a solemn session marking EuroLat’s 20th anniversary and the voting on results from committee meetings and civil society engagements.
