From June 7 to 12 of this year, the Belgian capital became the meeting point for a strategic journalistic network focused on a sustainable future. As part of the Study Tour EU Climate Dialogues 2 (EUCDs2)—a joint initiative between the European Union (EU), German cooperation agency GIZ, and OLACDE—a delegation of 15 journalists from Latin America and the Caribbean came together at the heart of European policymaking to gain direct access to the institutional, technical, and governance spaces where the policies guiding the planet’s decarbonization are designed.
This collective gathering not only provided access to cutting-edge information, but also consolidated a specialized press corps capable of discussing and reporting firsthand on the trends shaping the roadmap for the global energy transition.
For the Latin American and Caribbean Energy Organization (OLACDE), taking part in this high-level gathering in Brussels was not only an exercise in in-depth journalistic coverage, but also the consolidation of a key institutional bridge. The European Union, in its role as a permanent observer of OLACDE, extended this invitation with a clear purpose: to connect Europe’s regulatory and industrial leadership with our region’s renewable potential, turning the bilateral relationship into a true strategic alliance for a climate-neutral future.
Direct access to the sources of global change
Over an intense week of technical and political immersion, the agenda gave the press delegation entry into the core of European Commission decision-making. At a decisive moment for the global energy future, where rising demand calls for immediate cooperation, the tour opened the doors to key venues such as the European Sustainable Energy Week (EUSEW) and enabled face-to-face dialogue with the officials, industry leaders, and innovators driving the European Green Deal and the REPowerEU strategy.
The working sessions ranged from analysis of carbon markets and regulatory frameworks for renewable hydrogen, to a review of new critical minerals value chains and the development of sustainable aviation fuels. This was not merely a theoretical review; on-the-ground technical visits allowed us to see firsthand how European infrastructure and integration systems are evolving to address three simultaneous challenges: supply security, industrial competitiveness, and climate urgency.
From suppliers to partners: the new diplomacy of strategic minerals
One of the clearest and most high-profile messages to emerge from the working sessions in Brussels was a shift in paradigm. Latin American and Caribbean countries are no longer seen solely as suppliers of raw materials, but as indispensable partners for joint development.
Our region holds an exceptional competitive advantage: it has one of the cleanest electricity matrices on the planet—with close to 70% coming from renewable sources—and is home to massive reserves of critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earths, essential for manufacturing clean technologies, storage systems, and electric vehicles. The European approach, embodied in investment strategies such as the Global Gateway, seeks to ensure that recent announcements of strategic projects in the region translate into the creation of local value chains, technology transfer, innovation, and quality job creation within the supplying countries.
From this perspective, concepts once confined to technical debate—such as strategic autonomy and supply chain resilience—have moved to the center of international economic policy.
OLACDE and regional integration at the decision-making table
As the organization responsible for coordinating and energetically integrating its 27 member countries, OLACDE’s presence at this Study Tour reaffirms the importance of keeping the region fully connected to the world’s main decision-making centers.
The energy transition can no longer be defined solely by the technical capacity to generate clean gigawatts; it requires shared visions, harmonized regulatory frameworks, and strong international alliances. Strengthening political and technical dialogue between Latin America, the Caribbean, and the European Union, aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement, is the fundamental path toward building shared solutions that ensure a just, secure, sustainable, and inclusive energy transition.
Learning firsthand how global climate policy is woven together in Brussels leaves us with clear certainties: the planet’s energy future is being written jointly, and our region is a leading actor at that design table.
