The FAO’s Codex Alimentarius and the WTO’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures and Technical Barriers to Trade Agreements: Too many rules, not enough trade? In light of the controversies surrounding the TPP, the TTIP and the recently relaunched talks for an EU–Mercosur Association Agreement, how can the EU and the CELAC promote the adoption of binding, unified international food standards that safeguard consumer rights without creating unnecessary trade barriers, especially for low and middle-income countries?
War on drugs: Is brute force the way? Considering the collateral damage of a mostly militarised intervention in the area, how can the EU and the CELAC further cooperate within and beyond the framework of the COPOLAD II to better respond to safety concerns and socio-economic factors, and more accurately target the roots and consequences of international drug trafficking?
Smart cities: The way towards a greener and more inclusive future? With two-thirds of the world population projected to live in urban settlements by 2050, and in the follow-up of the COP21 Agreement, how can the EU and the CELAC take advantage of new technologies and cooperate in making cities more sustainable?
Technologisation and automation: A high-tech railway towards human obsolescence? With a growing number of NEETs and a shrinking ratio of low to high-skilled jobs, how can the EU and the CELAC cooperate to ensure their citizens are equipped with the skills to remain relevant in an increasingly knowledge-based economy?
Renewable energy: Too expensive to market? Following the COP21 Agreement, and considering the difficulty to secure private investment for renewable energy technologies at early-stage commercial readiness, how can the EU and the CELAC work together to foster the market uptake of such technologies, especially those in later-stage readiness levels?
SwissLeaks, LuxLeaks and Panama Papers: Just the tip of the iceberg? With billions of euros in state revenue being lost to opaque offshore schemes each year, how best can the EU and the CELAC work together to streamline the exchange of fiscal data aimed at facilitating judicial cooperation and curbing tax evasion internationally?
Education and empowerment: The way to break the poverty trap? With girls and young women accounting for the majority of out-of-school children and illiterate adults worldwide, what measures can the EU and the CELAC implement to close the gender gap in education and help pave the way to more dignified lives and more inclusive societies?
Terrorism 2.0: Time for next-level countermeasures? In light of the exponential surge in worldwide attacks since 2011 despite increased security measures, and bearing in mind new jihadist recruitment strategies, how can the EU and the CELAC cooperate to ensure the international community adapt their response to global extremism in the digital age?
H1N1, Ebola and Zika viruses: A new wave of global epidemics? With rising criticism to the inadequate reaction of world authorities and overall lack of international coordination, how best can the EU and the CELAC cooperate to ensure more effective support to the affected regions, and greater concertation in research to mitigate the consequences of current epidemics and minimise the spread of new ones?