Chile is a strategic partner of the EU in South America and the first country in the region with which the EU signed an Association Agreement, through which there are many cooperation ties. 

Being a high income country, Chile cannot receive funds destined for bilateral cooperation. However, it can participate in EU global and regional programs in areas such as governance and human rights, climate change, sustainable growth and jobs, digitization, science and technology, education and culture. 

Additionally, the EU supports national-implemented civil society projects related to human rights, gender equality and women’s rights, climate change, economic, social and cultural rights of indigenous peoples, strengthening of democracy and social cohesion. Moreover, the EU also supports civil society working in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the promotion of citizen participation in the context of the constitutional process.

The Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation – Global Europe, covering the period 2021-2027, will allow comprehensive and flexible cooperation with high-income countries, opening opportunities to strengthen future cooperation between the EU and Chile.

The EU supports non-state actors through the thematic lines “Civil Society Organisations” and “European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights”. Respectively, they aim at contributing to the strengthening of civil society as independent actors for the promotion of sustainable development, good governance, strengthening democracy and the promotion of the defence of human rights in Chile. Currently, the EU supports the following projects: 

• Juntas en Acción, Advocacy and action platform for women's rights in Chile.
• Amores Tempranos, to prevent gender-based violence in young people and adolescents' relationships.
• It’s time to participate, aimed at fomenting citizen participation in decision-making processes.
• Activa Secano, for economic recovery in the rural areas of Chile’s Secano, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Collaborative response to the covid-19 pandemic, to support civil society organisations working with the most vulnerable population. 
• Forming alliances for the Restoration of forests at a landscape scale in Nahuelbuta.
• Promotion of the enforceability of the economic, social and cultural rights of indigenous peoples, in the context of the constituent process and the National Action Plan for Business and Human Rights.

Examples of Chile’s participation in EU global and regional programmes include:  

• Under Euroclima+, the EU supports several climate governance initiatives and sectoral projects on disaster risk reduction and management, urban mobility and energy efficiency, among others. Additionally, the EU supports Chile in its presidency of COP 25 and the road to Glasgow 26, with €4 million via Euroclima+. 
• With the support of Eusocial+, the EU has accompanied 15 national services in the design, reform and implementation of social, governance and gender public policies. Chile is the country of the region most involved in the programme: more than 50 actions have been implemented to strengthen social cohesion in the country. 
• With EL PAcCTO, the EU and Chile exchange experiences and best practices to address organised crime. Other programmes addressing the security-development nexus in which Chile participates include Glacy+ on cybercrime, and Copolad III, on drugs policy. 
• Chile also participates in the Alliance for triangular cooperation between the EU, Latin America and the Caribbean for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, through the Adelante 2 project.