EU-Panama relations
History of EU-Panama relations
Discover the evolution of relations between the Republic of Panama and the European Union through this timeline, in reverse chronological order.
New EU Ambassador to Panama
On 21 November 2022, the Ambassador of the European Union to Panama, Izabela Matusz, presented her credentials letters to the President of the Republic, Laurentino Cortizo Cohen. Read her welcome message.
In 2023, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) appointed Alfonso Arroyo Fernández as representative for the Latin America and Caribbean region, with a view to deepening bi-regional cooperation on aviation.
In January 2024, the European Parliament announced its decision to open an Office for Latin America and the Caribbean and base it in Panama.
High-level visits and inauguration of the new EU headquarters in Panama
On 2 May 2022, Mr. Josep Borrell Fontelles, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, officially opened the new headquarters of the European Union Delegation in Panama in the Hi Point building. Borrell also participated in the Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs SICA-CARICOM, met with the President of the Republic of Panama, H.E. Laurentino Cortizo Cohen, the Chancellor of the Republic, the President of the Supreme Court of Justice, and other senior officials.
Ms. Jutta Urpilainen, European Commissioner for International Partnerships, visited Panama in June 2022. The head of the European Union's international cooperation to reduce global poverty and support sustainable development met with the Minister of Government and the Deputy Minister for Multilateral Affairs and Cooperation.
In October 2022, Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, visited the Lajas Blanca Migrant Reception Station in El Darién, met with representatives of the Panamanian Government, as well as UN agencies and humanitarian organisations present on the ground. In addition, it launched the EU Humanitarian Hub at the Regional Humanitarian Assistance Logistics Centre (CLRAH) in Panama Pacifico.
Enhancing political dialogue between the EU and Panama
As part of that union, in June 2021, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, Mr. Josep Borrell, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Panama, Ms. Erika Mouynes, signed the Memorandum of Understanding on EU-Panama Bilateral Consultations, which is an important step towards further strengthening the EU’s engagement with the country.
The first high-level political dialogue in the framework of the bilateral consultations took place on 7 December 2022, in Panama City.
Establishment of DG ECHO Regional Office
In April 2019, the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean of the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) of the European Commission was established in Ciudad del Saber.
European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič officially inaugurated the new building of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean during his visit on 12 October 2022.
The Delegation articulates relations between the European Union and Panama
A new chapter on the European presence on the isthmus was launched, with Mr. Chris Hoornaert, the first Ambassador and Head of the EU Delegation to Panama, being appointed at the formal presentation of letters of credentials to President Juan Carlos Varela on 16 January 2019.
Since then, the Delegation of the European Union to Panama, in coordination with the Embassies of the Member States, local and concurrent, has strengthened relations with government institutions, international organizations and civil society. In addition, the Delegation promotes cultural diplomacy through actions such as the International Book Fair, environmental issues through the EUROCLIMA+ Programme, higher education by encouraging the participation of Panamanian students in the Erasmus+ programme and contributed with technical assistance in the field of security and justice with the EL PAcCTO programme. It also actively collaborated with Member States in supporting the repatriation of European Union citizens who were in Panama, when the COVID-19 pandemic was declared.
Establishment of the Delegation of the European Union to Panama
On 15 November 2018, in a protocol event that took place in Antigua, Guatemala, within the framework of the Ibero-American Summit, the Vice-President of the Republic of Panama and Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Isabel Saint Malo de Alvarado and the Director General for the Americas of the External Action Service of the European Union, H.S. Editá Hrdá, signed the Headquarters Agreement for the establishment of the Delegation of the European Union to Panama.
Announcement of the establishment of an EU diplomatic mission in Panama
In April 2015, in the framework of the VII Summit of the Americas, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Union, Ms. Federica Mogherini, informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that she was initiating a process to strengthen ties of friendship and cooperation with Panama, through the establishment of a Diplomatic Mission.
That same year the first Chargé d'Affaires a.i. arrives in Panama, allowing a face-to-face dialogue with the Government, the private sector and civil society of the country. During his tenure, important events were achieved, including visits by the European Parliament, a mission of the Working Group of the Council of the European Union in charge of Latin America and the Caribbean (COLAC) and the Regional Seminar for the Americas and the Caribbean of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the then Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development of the European Commission (DG DEVCO).
Strengthening of trade, social and security relations
In 2012, the Liaison Office was attached to the Delegation of the European Union (EU) for Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama, focusing on trade issues and strengthening cooperation with projects such as Eurosocial, Euroclima or Social Cohesion (COHESAL).
It is worth mentioning the Security Cooperation Project with Panama(SECOPA), which had the support of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for Central America and the Caribbean in Panama (UNODC) and the Inter-American Development Bank, left tools of great benefit for various Ministries, such as Security, Government, Education or Social Development, among other entities.
On 29 June 2012, the EU-Central America Association Agreement was signed in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Its trade pillar started to apply since 2013, while the political and cooperation pillars entered into force in May 2024.
In addition, between 2008 and 2016, the expansion of the Panama Canal was financed by 360 million euros from the European Investment Bank (EIB), becoming the largest EIB operation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Opening of the European Commission Liaison Office in Panama
Despite the success of these cooperation projects, the physical presence of the European Union in Panama was lacking. Thus, on 15 April 2003, the E.C. Liaison Office was inaugurated in Panama, under the leadership of the then Chargé d'affaires a.i. of the Delegation of the European Commission to Costa Rica and Panama.
During that period, important approaches were evidenced through the projects Tecnoparque Internacional Ciudad del Saber, Sol-Educación-Salud (SOLEDUSA) and Apoyo a la Modernización del Órgano Judicial Phases 1 and 2, among others.
The then European Commission also actively participated in the regional integration process and in the initiative to make Panama part of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Central America and thus maximize international trade relations and achieve the presence of Panamanian exporters on the European continent. The Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement was signed in December 2003 and entered into force in 2014.
Milestones in European cooperation in Panama
From this historical relationship, in 1995 the Presidential Commission was created, which had the support of the European Union for the creation of the figure of the Defensor del Pueblo in Panama, taking as a guide the European "Ombudsman" model.
Another landmark for the Republic of Panama was the 1997 Programme for the Promotion of Equal Opportunities, in which the National Forum of Women in Political Parties and associations of peasant women (including indigenous women) had access to an awareness-raising process based on equal political, social and economic participation.
These programmes contributed significantly to Panama's development, as did others such as URB-AL and @LIS.
Al-Invest and the Eurocentre for Business Cooperation
Since 1994, Al-Invest, one of the most important international cooperation projects of the European Commission in Latin America, promoted European investments in Latin America and, over time, seeing the realities of the region, adapted to promote internationalization and boost the productivity of tens of thousands of SMEs in Latin America.
In Panama, through the Eurocentre for Business Cooperation, Al-Invest served as a framework for greater business rapprochement, first through the Generalised System of Tariff Preferences and, later, within the process of the EU Association Agreement with Central America.
Beginning of European cooperation with Central America
The presence of the European Union in Panama has its antecedents in the 80s, with the implementation of various cooperation projects, focused mainly on the promotion of economic, social development (reduction of poverty and inequality) and the institutional and democratic strengthening of the State, based on the San José Dialogue of 1984.
The Cooperation Agreement between the European Economic Community, of the one part, and the countries party to the General Treaty on Central American Economic Integration (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua) and Panama, of the other part, was signed in 1985 and entered into force the following year, and the Framework Cooperation Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Republics of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, which was in force between 1999 and 2014, was signed in 1993.
Establishment of diplomatic relations
Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Panama and the European Economic Community, which in 1993 became the European Union, were officially established on 20 April 1966.