Ecuador: Signature of Memorandum of Understanding for stronger bilateral relations with the EU

Today, High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell and Foreign Minister of Ecuador Gustavo Manrique, signed in Brussels, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Ecuador Guillermo Lasso, and on the occasion of the EU-CELAC Summit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the agenda for enhanced political and sectoral dialogue and cooperation for the next decade.

High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell said: “With today’s signature, we are strengthening EU-Ecuador long-standing relations. It will allow us to engage in a more structured relationship and to pursue cooperation initiatives in a wide range of areas of common interest, such as security, cooperation in multilateral fora, environment and climate change, digital transformation, the fight against drug trafficking and organised crime, migration and mobility, human rights and innovation.”

Foreign Minister of Ecuador, Gustavo Manrique, said: “The presence of the President Guillermo Lasso during the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding denotes the importance that Ecuador gives to the enhancement of the relationship with the European Union. Said instrument represents a joint vision to improve the wellbeing of our people and the convergence of mutual commonalities that will allow deepening our political ties and shared interests in fields such as security, environment, economic and social matters, cooperation, in the path of establishing a strategic relationship in the near future”.

The Memorandum of Understanding identifies eight priorities to guide the development of EU-Ecuador relations:

  1. The environmental agenda, including the fight against climate change and the mitigation of its consequences, the protection and sustainable use of land and marine biodiversity, and the promotion of sustainable growth and circular economy;
  2. The economic and social agenda, including the promotion of sustainable and inclusive growth, the support of small and medium-sized enterprises and the bolstering of digital innovation;
  3. The scientific and educational agenda, including the promotion of academic development and research through university exchanges and scientific training centres;
  4. The development cooperation agenda, relating to social and humanitarian issues, including chronic infant malnutrition and general health;
  5. The security agenda, including the fight against transnational organised crime, illicit drug trafficking and production, countering terrorism and preventing violent extremism, the fight against harmful disinformation, and the promotion of cybersecurity;
  6. The migration agenda, and particularly the management of the migration crisis and its impact on Ecuador and the region;
  7. The promotion of investments for smart, clean, safe and secure links in the digital, climate, energy and transport sectors through the EU Global Gateway initiative.
  8. The multilateral cooperation agenda on global and regional foreign policy issues, in particular the protection of the rules-based global order.

Furthermore, the MoU opens prospects to develop a comprehensive bilateral political agreement in the future to complement the EU-Colombia/Peru Trade Agreement.

Background

The EU and Ecuador have been deepening and broadening their long-standing political, economic and cooperation ties in recent years, making of Ecuador one of our most reliable partners in the region. Ecuador's bilateral agenda with the EU has intensified in all sectors, including trade, where bilateral trade has grown steadily since the entry into force of the trade agreement with the EU in 2017.

The EU is Ecuador’s first foreign direct investor and the third trade partner after the US and China. Ecuador exports to the EU amount to around 4 billion USD. Ecuador is a firm supporter of multilateral fora and regional integration, based on rules and respect for human rights, democracy and the Rule of Law. Ecuador is currently a member of the UN Security Council (2023-2024) and has been clear in its condemnation of Russia’s actions in Ukraine and supporting/co-sponsoring resolutions in the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly and the UN Human Rights Council.

See also full remarks by the HR/VP Josep Borrell: