“CELAC has been unable to promote true integration or to deal with the recent political crises in the region,” says Covarrubías. For example, the issue of Venezuela and the presence of President Nicolás Maduro has been a very important point of friction in the last summits of the organization.
The obstacles of integration
Despite attempts at integration, the region’s economies remain fragmented and lack incentives to work together.
“As much as we want to get closer to these integration schemes discursively, that does not mean that we are going to be well received by the rest of Latin America, nor that we are going to change our economic dynamics,” says Cardoso.
For Cardoso, one of the main obstacles to integration is the lack of a regional identity that goes beyond nationalism.
“If you go to France, for example, the French don’t feel as French as they feel European. The reality is that in Latin America that does not happen”, says the analyst.
Another obstacle to integration are the differences in the economic dynamics of the region, as well as the imbalances in the level of development.
“In the Latin American scheme, the two countries that follow the same economic paths are Mexico and Brazil, but in reality they appeal to totally different economic paradigms,” says Cardoso.
Beyond the European Union
The comparison with the European Union usually appears in this type of debate. The creation of a single market, supranational political bodies, European legislation, a single currency —the euro— and a space for the free movement of individuals —the Schengen areas— seem to be the example to follow for other integration attempts. But specialists indicate that this model may not work for Latin America.
“Europe is a different case that does not necessarily have to be applied to Latin America”,
Briceño points out that the European model is not the only example of successful regional integration and asked to see an example of the African Union of Nations or, at the subregional level, what has been done by the Central American countries.
“An interesting way is that integration helps these Central American countries is to adopt joint positions to obtain external financing, because these countries have problems with external financing, they go together to the IDB (Inter-American Development Bank) to request support, to the Association Andina de Fomento”, explains Briseño.