This research aims to understand the nature and underlying motives of the EU’s relations with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC). The frequently claimed normative role of the EU will be examined in the context of the EU- CELAC summit relations, and the cases should be outlined that cause a switch to Realpolitik behavior. Thereby, the EU’s engagement in regional integration and interregional cooperation will be illustrated and EU-CELAC cooperation areas concerning the fight against poverty and social inequality, the consolidation of good governance and the promotion of peace, and lastly, the regional integration, trade, and economic cooperation are analyzed to reach an understanding of their normative or Realpolitik content. The research illustrates the ways of understanding the EU’s normative behavior and power, and the nature of the cooperation between the EU and the CELAC, whereby it should be shown that the EU acts according to normative consideration and only in few exceptions turns towards Realpolitik behavior.

[pt] Somente no século XXI, o mundo enfrentou os impactos devastadores de três doenças respiratórias agudas: a Síndrome Respiratória do Oriente Médio(MERS), a Síndrome Respiratória Aguda Grave (SARS) e a COVID-19, que evoluiu para uma pandemia. Essas doenças não apenas causaram um grande número de mortes, mas também prejudicaram a economia das regiões afetadas. Em particular, os países da região da América Latina e Caribe (LAC)enfrentaram desafios adicionais, devido a maiores desigualdades sociais, acesso limitado a serviços de saúde e condições de vida precárias. Portanto, é imperativo compreender os efeitos das ações de mitigação para orientar as ações no sentido de mitigar os impactos sanitários e socioeconômicos, se (ou quando)surgirem novas doenças respiratórias agudas, especialmente nestes países. Foi realizado um estudo retrospectivo para modelar a dinâmica da variação da mortalidade por COVID-19 em países da LAC e analisar sua associação com estratégias de vacinação, medidas de contenção, restrições de mobilidade e fatores socioeconômicos. A metodologia do estudo aplicou técnicas de clustering que revelaram dois agrupamentos distintos com base em características socio-demográficas, seguidos pela aplicação do XGBoost para modelar a dinâmica de variação de mortes nos países de cada cluster, ao longo do tempo. Por fim, foi aplicada a técnica de SHAP Values para compreender as associações entre mortalidade e fatores como vacinação, medidas de contenção e restrições de mobilidade. Além disso, foi realizado um painel com especialistas para avaliar a relevância e efetividade dos resultados encontrados. O estudo fornece evidências de que o suporte econômico e a conclusão do esquema de vacinação foram especialmente relevantes para reduzir a mortalidade por COVID-19.Foi possível detectar dois grupos distintos de países, onde um grupo pode ter características de maior vulnerabilidade do que o outro grupo. As intervenções mais importantes para entender a mortalidade por COVID-19 variaram em dois períodos distintos da pandemia: pré-vacinação e pós-vacinação. No período pré-vacinação, as medidas de contenção foram as intervenções mais importantes para a mortalidade nos países menos vulneráveis, enquanto para os países mais vulneráveis, foram as variações na mobilidade populacional. No período pós-vacinação, a cobertura vacinal foi a intervenção mais importante para a mortalidade nos países menos vulneráveis, enquanto os países mais vulneráveis foram mais impactados pelas medidas de contenção. / [en] In the 21st century alone, the world has faced the devastating impacts of three acute respiratory diseases: Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and COVID-19, which evolved into a pandemic. These diseases have not only caused a large number of deaths but have also damaged the economies of the affected regions. In particular, countries in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region have faced additional challenges due to greater social inequalities, limited access to health services, and precarious living conditions. Therefore, it is imperative to understand the effects of mitigation actions to guide actions to mitigate the health and socioeconomic impacts if (or when) new acute respiratory diseases emerge, especially in these countries. A retrospective study was conducted to model the dynamics of variation in COVID-19 mortality in LAC countries and analyze its association with vaccination strategies, containment measures, mobility restrictions, and socioeconomic factors. The study methodology applied clustering techniques that revealed two distinct clusters based on sociodemographic characteristics, followed by the application of XGBoost to model the dynamics of variation in deaths in the countries of each cluster, over time. Finally, the SHAP Values technique was applied to understand the associations between mortality and factors such as vaccination, containment measures and mobility restrictions. In addition, a panel of experts was held to assess the relevance and effectiveness of the results found. The study provides evidence that economic support and the completion of the vaccination scheme were especially relevant in reducing COVID-19 mortality. It was possible to detect two distinct groups of countries, where one group may have characteristics of greater vulnerability than the other group. The most important interventions for understanding COVID-19 mortality varied in two distinct periods of the pandemic: pre-vaccination and post-vaccination. In the pre-vaccination period, containment measures were the most important interventions for mortality in the least vulnerable countries, while for the most vulnerable countries, they were variations in population mobility. In the post-vaccination period, vaccination coverage was the most important intervention for mortality in the least vulnerable countries, while the most vulnerable countries were more impacted by containment measures.

Reproductive health and induced abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean Abstract The objective of this study is to give a comprehensive overview of the reproductive health of the population living in Latin America and the Caribbean, and to evaluate the level of induced abortion in the region at the same time. In the theoretical part of the study the term reproductive health is defined and indicators evaluating its level are described. As well the difference between safe and unsafe abortion is explained and the state of abortion law is expounded in this part. Next part is devoted to the promotion of family planning programs. In the analytical part Latin American and Caribbean countries are divided into four groups by using cluster analysis. Within each group one selected country is characterized in more detail. Indicators entering into the analysis show the level of reproductive health, the level of fertility and the economic performance of countries in the early 21st century. In the part related to the induced abortion rate in the region is discovered that despite the fact that in Latin America and the Caribbean there is one of the highest levels of contraceptive prevalence, there is also the highest level of induced abortion in the world. In the last part of the study the relationship between level of...

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Traditionnellement, les mouvements cycliques de l’économie Etats-Unienne ont été déterminants dans la croissance globale, et particulièrement dans l´Amérique Latine et la Caraïbe, étant donné le rôle indiscutable joué par ce pays en tant que moteur de l’économie internationale depuis la fin de la Seconde guerre mondiale. Le début du XXIe siècle et spécialement la récente crise économique (2007-2009) à donné lieu à un intense débat international autour du découplage («decoupling» en anglais). Les épisodes relativement courts de désynchronisation économique dans certains zones géographiques durant la crise a été sans précédent, et a ouvert une fenêtre pour l'étude de l'impact (présent et/ou en devenir) des changements géoéconomiques et géopolitiques récents sur la scène internationale. Cette thèse cherche évaluer les changements dans la transmission de chocs des Etats Unis vers l’Amérique Latine et la Caraïbe, à la lumière de la récente crise économique internationale. Les Etats-Unis maintiennent une double dimension ou une dualité dans son importance économique pour l'Amérique Latine et les Caraïbes: d'abord, en tant que principal acteur de l'hémisphère et le principal partenaire commercial, et d'autre part, pour leur rôle dans l'architecture monétaire et financière internationale. La préservation de son hégémonie économique sur la région repose principalement sur ce dernier pilier, sur lequel la région a peu de capacité d'influence. Cela confirme encore la centralité économique des États-Unis dans la région, en dépit des changements majeurs dans les dynamiques économiques bilatérales, basées sur l´influence, de plus en plus hétérogènes, des chocs originaires de ce pays. / Historically, United States has been considered the undisputed engine of the world economy; therefore, the cyclical movements of its economy have been crucial to global growth, particularly to Latin America and the Caribbean. Since the beginning of XXI century, particularly following the recent economic crisis (2007-2009), a number of major changes has emerged, in the global geopolitical and geo-economic context; marked by new dynamics of "North-South” and "South –South” interrelations. These changes in conjunction with the emergence of the international debate on the theory of “decoupling", has opened a window to study the influence of the context of the recent global crisis on the economic synchronization and the transmission of shocks from United States to Latin America and the Caribbean. This research assesses the changes in the transmission of economic shocks from US to the region, in the context of the recent international crisis. Major changes are verified in the relative importance of the trade channel that links United States to Latin America and the Caribbean due to a substantial increase in the commercial ties of the region with China; at the same time, the reinforcement of the monetary and financial channel in the transmission of shocks. The role of the United States in the current international monetary and financial architecture continues to be the essential foundation that preserves its economic centrality to Latin America and the Caribbean, in an increasingly heterogeneous region in its responses to shocks originated in the US economy. / Históricamente, Estados Unidos ha sido considerado el motor indiscutible de la economía mundial, así,los movimientos cíclicos de su economía han sido determinantes en el crecimiento global y, en particular, en América Latina y el Caribe. Desde inicios del siglo XXI y, en particular, a raíz de la recientecrisis económica (2007-2009), han emergido un conjunto de cambios trascendentales en el contexto geopolítico y geoeconómico mundial; a raíz de nuevas dinámicas de interrelación “Norte-Sur” y “Sur-Sur”. Dichos cambios, unidos a la emergencia del debate internacional sobre la teoría del “desacoplamiento”, han abierto una ventana al estudio de la influencia del contexto de la reciente crisis económica internacional sobre la sincronización económica y la transmisión de shocks desde Estados Unidos hacia América Latina y el Caribe. La presente investigación evalúa cambios en la transmisión de shocks desde Estados Unidos hacia la región en el contexto de la reciente crisis económica internacional.Se verifican modificaciones en la relevancia relativa del canal comercial en la transmisión desde Estados Unidos hacia América Latina y el Caribe debido al incremento sustancial de los vínculos comerciales con China; al mismo tiempo y un reforzamiento del canal monetario-financiero en la transmisión de shocks. El rol de Estados Unidos en la actual arquitectura monetario-financiera internacional se erige en el pilar fundamental que continúa privilegiando su centralidad económica en una región cada vez más heterogénea en su respuesta shocks originados en este país.