Latin America - The Outlook for Regional Integration and Global Trade Beyond COVID-19?

For decades, Latin American countries have pursued trade integration. The latest examples are the renegotiation of NAFTA as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the agreement between the EU and the Mercosur states (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay). While the latter was agreed in principle in 2019, ratification has been called into question over environmental concerns and Mercosur-member internal politics.

How successful have Latin America’s past efforts of integration been, what should be the future strategy towards achieving this goal, and what are the main challenges to overcome? What is the status of ongoing trade negotiations, including those with the UK post-Brexit? Will the COVID-19 pandemic encourage efforts for further regional and global integration, or will increased protectionism and the fragmentation of supply chains become the dominant forces? And will China’s economic influence in Latin America gain further strength in the post-pandemic era?

The event will be hosted by the US and the Americas Programme at Chatham House in partnership with the Mexican Council on Foreign Relations (COMEXI).

This discussion is part of the Chatham House Global Trade Policy Forum. We would like to take this opportunity to thank founding partner AIG and supporting partners Clifford Chance LLP, Diageo plc, and EY for their generous support of the forum.

More information on Latin America focused research at Chatham House is available on the Institute’s Latin America Initiative webpage. The Latin America Initiative at Chatham House is supported by BTG Pactual, Cairn Energy plc, Diageo plc, Equinor, Fresnillo Management Services, HSBC and Wintershall Dea.

Please note this event is taking place between 3pm-4pm BST.