Several years have passed since representatives of civil society in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean met for the first time in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1999. Equally, a series of events has taken place on the world stage since then, such as 11 September, the crisis in Argentina and the election of "Lula" in Brazil, all of which have had serious repercussions on relations between our regions. Despite such difficulties, relations have grown ever closer, to the point of becoming a top-of-the-list strategic priority for Europe, in political as well as economic and social terms...