Overview
Chile is the southernmost country in the world, stretching between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. It is a high-income economy but faces ongoing challenges since returning to a democratic system. Inequality is a top issue in Chile, and young people in particular struggle to build a future.
Chile and the European Union solidified their relationship in 2023, when Chile became the first South American country to sign a new-generation Advanced Framework Agreement with the EU. This agreement concretises pre-existing co-operation on human rights, climate change and the environment, ocean governance, energy, security, and defence. The trade component of the agreement already entered into force in 2025.
Our key initiatives
- Green Deal, sustainable growth and jobs
Team Europe and Chile cooperate closely on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and steering the region’s job growth towards green job sectors. Initiatives include:
- Boosting Renewable Hydrogen (RH2) through funding and technical cooperation
- Financing the Geothermal Development Instrument for Latin America
- Contributing to the self-consumption of renewable energy in SMEs
- Financing the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, with focus on Critical Raw Materials (CRM)
- Supporting Banco Estado’s ‘Ecohousing’ energy efficiency project
- Critical raw materials (CRM)
Team Europe supports Chile with the implementation of bilateral exchanges for sustainable CRM value chains.
- Digital
- Strengthening and improving the Copernicus data repository in Chile, to give it a regional outreach
- Supporting the country and the region in accessing earth observation tools and technology
- Funding the development of an accelerator of applications based on Copernicus and the creation of an interactive educational center
- Enhancing the cyber resilience of Latin American public authorities
- Stimulating the development of innovative technological solutions in the field of cybersecurity, and providing training and assistance
- Supporting digital connectivity in rural areas, and interoperability of digital information systems
- Governance, social cohesion and human rights
The EU supports initiatives in Chile that protect and promote fundamental rights with a focus on vulnerable groups like women, indigenous peoples, migrants, and children. Together, Chile and the EU battle discrimination, gender-based violence, and inequality, while defending freedoms of expression and association. Chile and the EU work to enhance transparency, accountability and the rule of law by encouraging conversation between civil society groups and government institutions. This helps protect citizens’ human rights and equal treatment under the law.
Specific areas of cooperation include:
- Enhancing the capacity of Chilean civil society organisations that advocate for their local communities, promote participatory governance, and support grassroots initiatives
- Raising awareness around gender-based violence
- Strengthening access to justice, particularly in the case of juvenile criminal mediation
- Supporting a comprehensive national care policy
- Contributing greater transparency and accountability in the Chilean Congress and in civil society organisations
- Combatting transnational organised crime as part of an EU-Latin American and Caribbean partnership
- Backing Chile’s implementation of a new drug policy designed to reduce drug consumption in Chile
- Contributing to border security and fighting human trafficking and migrant smuggling
- Exchanging experience, tools, and good practices on cybercrime
- Strengthening climate change adaptation and mitigation with local authorities and civil society organisations
