The Pacific Alliance approved on Tuesday (24.7.2018) the ambitious Vision 2030 to deepen the integration of the bloc in the coming years, increase digital connectivity and broaden its area of influence.
"The Pacific Alliance Vision 2030 document was approved, which sets out the work path for the next twelve years," said Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, at the close of the XIII Pacific Alliance Summit, which was held on July 23 and 24 in Puerto Vallarta, in the Mexican Pacific.
Accompanied by the other leaders of the Pacific Alliance - Juan Manuel Santos of Colombia; Martín Vizcarra of Peru and Sebastián Piñera of Chile - Peña Nieto explained that this 2030 vision has several guiding principles.
Guiding axes
Among these, achieving greater integration, deepening current progress, consolidating the projection of the Pacific Alliance, particularly towards Asia-Pacific, increase the digital connectivity and "advance together in strategic areas" such as services financial and ciberseguridad.
Peña Nieto highlighted the 140% increase in tourism since 2012 between countries in the bloc, and explained that the so-called Puerto Vallarta Declaration also included a decision to expand the Alliance's institutional capacities, create an infrastructure fund and grant more scholarships to young people.
Vizcarra, who today assumed the temporary presidency of the bloc, stressed that the "strategic vision for 2030 constitutes a fundamental step to achieve free mobility of goods, services, capital and people".
Throughout the year, as president pro tempore, he said that he will promote private initiative and access to financing for small and medium-sized companies to insert themselves into "global value chains".
It will also create a fund manager for the infrastructure fund, which seeks to reduce the gap between nations, and achieve the issuance of a catastrophic bond for droughts and floods in addition to the existing one for earthquakes.
In addition, efforts will be made to create a financial instrument for climate change mitigation and adaptation actions and to revitalise the role of the 55 observer states.
AP and Mercosur
In his turn to speak, Piñera celebrated the "great achievement" that the summit and the signed action plan Today, between the Pacific Alliance and Mercosur, which together account for 90% of Latin American GDP, must move towards trade integration.
"Hopefully sooner rather than later we will have a large free trade zone," he said.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos recalled that the Pacific Alliance is in favor of free trade and multilateralism.
"We do not like protectionism," he added.
This event concluded the XIII Presidential Summit of the Pacific Alliance, which aimed to approve a long-term vision with Mercosur and an agenda for 2030 in line with the UN objectives.
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