logo
Sánchez kicks off Latin America tour at forum on defence of democracy

Sánchez kicks off Latin America tour at forum on defence of democracy

Euronews2 days ago
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez began a tour of Latin America in Chile on Monday, which included participation in an international forum on the defence of democracy and meetings related to promoting the agreement between the EU and Mercosur.
Government sources say the trip is part of Spain's strategy to strengthen ties between the EU and Latin America.
Speaking at the 'Democracia Siempre' forum organised by Chilean President Gabriel Boric, Sánchez called on progressive leaders in Latin America to "step forward" and "go on the offensive" against the rise of the far right.
The Spanish leader warned that democracy is threatened by a "coalition of interests between oligarchs and the far right," which, he noted, represents a "real threat" in both the Americas and Europe.
Sánchez denounced "international hate and lies" which he said is spreading across both continents and described it as a "moral duty" to defend democratic values on all fronts.
As the primary course of action, Sánchez proposed strengthening democratic institutions, combating disinformation and reducing inequality. He also announced that Spain will host the next edition of the summit in 2025, which this year took place in Santiago, Chile.
Chilean leader Boric said that modern threats to democracy were not limited to military force, but include more subtle elements. He said this includes misinformation, extremism, corruption and inequality.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the forum urged progressive governments to respond "with concrete and urgent actions" as they are faced with a "new anti-democratic offensive."
Colombian President Gustavo Petro empathised that the leaders gathered at the forum had deepened their understanding on key challenges such as the climatic crisis, artificial intelligence, world peace and the defence of democracy and freedom.
At the forum, the Latin American leaders and Sánchez also met with invited experts including American economist and Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz, philosopher Susan Neiman and South Korean economist Ha-Joon Chang.
More than 300 representatives of Chilean civil society organisations also took part.
The forum's goal is to promote joint reflection on the state of democratic institutions and propose cooperative measures among participating countries. The initiative stems from a previous meeting held last year during the UN General Assembly and is promoted by Sánchez and Silva.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

EU Commission's defence loan scheme tapped by 20 member states
EU Commission's defence loan scheme tapped by 20 member states

Euronews

timean hour ago

  • Euronews

EU Commission's defence loan scheme tapped by 20 member states

Twenty member states have flagged their interest in using loans issued by the European Commission to fund defence projects for an estimated total of over €100 billion, Andrius Kubilius revealed on Thursday. The Commissioner for Defence and Space said on X that he is "impressed to hear that already 20 member states will request the loans". "More than €100 billion will be requested to ramp up European defence," he added. The Commission's loan programme, dubbed SAFE, is a key plank of the 'Readiness 2030' proposal that aims to see hundreds of billions of euros invested into defence across the EU before the end of the decade. The EU's executive, which has a better credit rating than many member states, had planned to raise up to €150 billion on the markets through the scheme for member states to finance defence acquisitions together. Member states have until 29 July to officially put in a request for financing. The first disbursements are expected early next year. Kubilius did not mention which member states have already notified the Commission of their intention to make use of the scheme, but several had already publicly made their interest known, like Latvia. An additional advantage of using SAFE is that member states will not have to pay Value Added Tax (VAT) on the purchases. This is a developing story. Check back later for updates.

Are immigrants earning less than native workers?
Are immigrants earning less than native workers?

Euronews

timean hour ago

  • Euronews

Are immigrants earning less than native workers?

Immigrants earn, on average, 17.9% less per year than natives in Europe and North America, according to a Nature study. The research analysed the salaries of 13.5 million workers across nine countries, including Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and Sweden, between 2016 and 2019. Three-quarters of this pay gap was the result of a lack of access to higher-paying jobs, while only one-quarter of the gap was attributed to pay differences between migrant and native-born workers in the same job. In Spain, the pay gap was over 29%, the highest among all seven European countries. Foreigners make up 13% of the nation's workforce, contributing to economic growth and population increase. In Norway, Germany, France and the Netherlands, immigrants earn between 15% and 20% less than natives. Meanwhile, in Sweden—a country where many employed immigrants find work in the public sector—it was just 7%. The place where immigrants were born also mattered. The highest average overall pay gaps were for immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa, at 26.1%, and the Middle East and North Africa, at 23.7%. Immigrants from Europe, North America and other Western countries experienced a much smaller average pay difference compared to natives, at just 9%. However, the children of immigrants had a substantially smaller earnings gap, earning an average of 5.7% less than workers with native-born parents. Within-job pay differences between natives and children of immigrants are uniformly very small, at less than 2% in all countries. What can be done to tackle this pay gap? In 2023, 39.4% of non-EU citizens were overqualified for the jobs they were in, according to the latest Eurostat figures. According to a McKinsey study, improving social mobility could raise the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of European countries by 3% to 9% and close the skills gap expected by 2030 without needing new training or reskilling. A set of measures can be implemented to reduce job-level segregation effectively, the study's researchers found. This includes language training, job training, job search assistance programmes which directly connect workers to employers, improved access to domestic education, and recognition of foreign qualifications. Currently, some EU countries have implemented initiatives to tackle this issue. In 2024, Germany enforced the Skilled Immigration Act, which allowed foreign graduates to work while their degrees are being formally recognised. France this year reformed its "Carte Talent" permit - a multi-year residence permit for foreign nationals in France - to attract skilled professionals and address labour shortages, especially in healthcare. "These kinds of policies help ensure that foreign-born workers can contribute at their full capacity, and that countries can reap the full benefits of immigration in terms of productivity gains, higher tax revenue and reduced inequality," stated the paper's researchers Marta M. Elvira, Are Skeie Hermansen and Andrew Penner. "Smart immigration policy doesn't end at the border - it starts there."

Chinese EV maker Zeekr expands EU presence in spite of tariffs
Chinese EV maker Zeekr expands EU presence in spite of tariffs

France 24

timean hour ago

  • France 24

Chinese EV maker Zeekr expands EU presence in spite of tariffs

07:11 From the show Reading time 1 min As European leaders attend an EU-China summit in Beijing, the issue of tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles entering the single market is one of the items on the agenda. Brussels has imposed tariffs on Chinese manufacturers such as Zeekr because of what it considers to be unfair trade practices. In this edition, we talk to Lothar Schupet, acting CEO of Zeekr Europe, about the effect of these trade restrictions on its business.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store