At the EU-CELAC Summit, Europe and Latin America chart a common course for a fair partnership
At the CELAC-EU Summit in Santa Marta, Colombia, the European Union and 33 countries from Latin America and the Caribbean agreed to deepen their partnership on democracy, sustainable growth and global stability.
High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas stated: “The European Union and CELAC are natural partners and this years summit is a great opportunity to strengthen our ties. The world is becoming increasingly competitive but cooperation will always be the fastest way to increase growth and reduce dependencies on both sides. Trade between our regions already brings so many benefits to citizens and businesses. Europe is not interested in short-term gains but in long-term partnerships.”
The Summit concluded with a political declaration and a roadmap setting out concrete actions on trade, climate, energy, digital transformation, food security, health, education, research and culture.
The main outcomes and initiatives are available in our press release.
(For more information: Anouar El Anouni – Tel.: +32 229-13580; Quentin Cortes – Tel.: +32 229-13283 )
Commission clears acquisition of Grupo Mediterranea de Catering by SODEXO
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of Grupo Mediterranea de Catering, S.L. of Spain by SODEXO, S.A. of France.
The transaction relates primarily to the contract foodservices markets.
The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given the companies limited combined market position resulting from the proposed transaction. The notified transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
More information is available on the Commissions competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.12116.
(For more information: Arianna Podestà – Tel.: +32 2 298 70 24; Sara Simonini - Tel.: +32 2 298 33 67)
Commission clears creation of joint venture by SPAR and VGS
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the creation of a joint venture by SES Spar European Shopping Centers GmbH (‘SPAR) and Vinzenz Gruppe Service GmbH (‘VGS), both of Austria.
The transaction relates primarily to the operation of health parks in shopping centres in Austria.
The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given that the joint venture has negligible activities in the European Economic Area and its limited market position resulting from the proposed transaction. The notified transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure.
More information is available on the Commissions competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.12152.
(For more information: Arianna Podestà – Tel.: +32 2 298 70 24; Sara Simonini - Tel.: +32 2 298 33 67)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Executive Vice-President Virkkunen discusses EU support for tech industry at Web Summit 2025 in Lisbon
The Web Summit 2025 opens today in Lisbon. Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, will take part in an event tomorrow, 11 November, at 16:40 WET, on the European Unions support for the tech industry and the future of Europes technological sovereignty.
Executive Vice-President Virkkunen will speak about how the EU is turning its vision of digital sovereignty into opportunities for startups and innovators. The discussion will explore how Europe is strengthening its tech leadership through strategic investments in startups, artificial intelligence and supercomputing, and how EU policies are being designed to simplify growth, attract talent and scale innovation.
In parallel, the Commission will host two events during the summit. The first, on 11 November, will focus on the Digital Markets Act and how its interoperability rules contribute to creating a fairer and more competitive digital environment for companies across the EU. The second, on 12 November, will address Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Europe, presenting the EUs AI Strategy and the AI Act and explaining how these initiatives help European industry seize the opportunities offered by this transformative technology.
The summit will bring together thousands of innovators, entrepreneurs and policymakers from across the world to debate the future of technology and digital transformation.
(For more information: Thomas Regnier — Tel. + 32 2 299 10 99; Nika Blazevic — Tel. + 32 2 299 27 17)
Commissioner Hansen hosts the second Implementation Dialogue on the EU organic policy
Today, Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, will host the second Implementation Dialogue with farmers, consumers and other food system stakeholders to exchange views on their experience with the EU organic policy and regulatory framework. The discussion will focus on stakeholders experience with the rules on organic production and labelling of organic products and explore potential for targeted adjustments to the provisions in the organic basic act.
The Commissioner will kick off the dialogue with an introductory speech. During two subsequent roundtable discussions, stakeholders will have the chance to engage directly with the Commissioner, offering their suggestions for enhancing the organic policys implementation. The meeting will conclude with the Commissioners closing remarks.
The current Action Plan, launched in 2021, is set to expire by the end of next year, making this dialogue an important moment to take stock of the three years of its implementation and explore changes needed for future-proof legislation. Adjustments, such as accelerated procedures and the reduction of data requests and reporting obligations, may be considered to render the EU organic policy more efficient and less burdensome, without lowering the high organic standards.
This second dialogue by Commissioner Hansen follows the Implementation Dialogue on Common Agricultural Policy in June. The Implementation Dialogues were launched in the spring of 2025 in the Communication for a Simpler and Faster Europe as a consultation tool to make EU laws simpler and their implementation better. The outcomes of the meetings are made available to the wider public.
(For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 2 295 45 78; Emma Maréchal - Tel.: +32 2 299 48 18)
Tentative agendas for forthcoming Commission meetings
Note that these items can be subject to changes.
Upcoming events of the European Commission
Eurostat press releases
