Leaders from 60 countries in Europe and the Americas will meet in Lima, Peru this Friday for a two-day summit that is expected to focus on poverty, climate change and free trade.
The summit marks the fifth meeting among officials from Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. At the talks, European governments are expected to pursue ongoing free trade negotiations with Central America, the Andean Community as well as the South American trade block known as Mercosur.
Separately, participants are expected to discuss efforts to reach an agreement in the so-called Doha round of world trade talks. Agricultural disputes between rich and poor countries have blocked a deal on the talks, which began in Doha, Qatar in 2001.
Poor nations have complained that government aid to farmers in rich countries prompts wealthy farmers to overproduce, driving down prices and making it difficult for poor farmers to compete.
Wealthy nations say they are willing to reduce farm subsidies if developing nations drop import tariffs and open their markets to manufactured goods from developed nations. Brazil has played a major role in the Doha trade talks by representing the interests of developing countries.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and Reuters.