Newsletter May 2008

Held once every two years, the 5th EU-LAC Business Summit was hosted by Peru on May 16, 2008 wherein attendees included some 60 heads of state or government from Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The event was aimed at tackling two areas of common interest: social inequality and climate change. The weekend was filled with excitement as Peru was given a chance to shine in the international spotlight.

In theme with the summit and a perfect prelude to the weekend, Peru’s government created the first-ever Environmental Ministry on May 14th. The Environmental Ministry will oversee protection and use of water, air and extraction of natural resources. The new ministry will have powers to sanction and implement projects and operations that have environmental impacts, including mining, hydrocarbon and fishing activities. It was no coincidence that the creation of the ministry paralleled the EU-LAC Summit; President Alan Garcia intended to send a message to the world that the Peruvian government is not only interested in promoting investment into the country, but also business that is done in accordance with environmental conservation and sustainability in mind.

The district of Breña held an international gastronomy festival to educate citizens about the participant countries at the summit and to stress the importance of the international meeting. Hundreds of residents of the Lima district were given the opportunity to enjoy an array of dishes prepared by students and masters of 30 culinary schools in Breña. Naturally, Peru was represented with cebiche, papa a la huancaína, and rocoto relleno; beverages included chicha de jora and Pisco Sour. The evening concluded with a special concert of traditional dances from the countries that participated in the summit.

Many of the world leaders made time to visit the recently voted ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’: Machu Picchu. The famous tourist attraction was visited on Saturday by Slovakian foreign minister An Kubis and Hungarian FM Kinga Goncz. European Commission President and Portugal’s former Prime Minister, José Manuel Barroso, arrived at the Inca citadel on Thursday morning where he was greeted by Cuzco's mayor, Marina Sequeiros, and regional director of the National Institute of Culture, Jorge Zegarra. Barraso describe his trip to Machu Picchu as an “amazing experience”.

In honor of the summit being held appropriately in the Museo de la Nación, Peru flaunted its rich cultural hybridity with its first ever French inspired ‘Noche en Blanco’. Nine thousand people flooded the streets to partake in the excitement. The ‘modern heart’ of the city, the commercial district of Miraflores, was the chosen location for the ‘White Night’ which included a parade of artwork from national and European artists. The monumental event also included musical performances and a magical lightshow.

All in all, the summit was a great success for Peru, which during this weekend’s events, was considered a key country in the strengthening of regional ties by European Parliament president Hans-Gert Pöttering. The country warmly welcomed international leaders and President Alan García praised safety efforts provided by the Peruvian National Police stating that “Peruvians should feel proud”. Among the many benefits of hosting the summit, Peru called the attention of 200,000 world business leaders and has already planned over 500,000 business meetings wherein billion dollar investments are expected as a result.

Source:livinginperu.com, El Comercio

PAST NEWSLETTERS:

• Newsletter April 2008
• Newsletter February 2008
• Newsletter January 2008