ABSTRACT
Relations between the European Union (EU) and South America, as part of the wider EU-Latin American and Caribbean framework, involve a variety of actors and agendas on political dialogue, trade, and cooperation, operating simultaneously at various levels. COVID-19 came at a time when both the EU and South America were facing severe challenges on various fronts. The pandemic entailed a new layer of complexity for these regions and their relations and interactions as well, while multilateralism faded away. The question that comes next is: Were these interregional spaces and mechanisms up to the challenge? This chapter explores whether and how existing spaces and mechanisms set up between the EU and South America have responded to COVID-19. To this end, the chapter looks back in time to discuss the evolution of the relations between the EU and South America. Second, it provides an analytical narrative of the latest developments with a focus on the COVID-19 crisis. The chapter thus provides a comparative assessment of EU-South American relations across time and across agendas and concludes by suggesting possible scenarios for these interregional dynamics in a post-pandemic world.
