President Gabriel Boric puts the issue of lithium at the center of his tour in Europe

President Gabriel Boric puts the issue of lithium at the

Chilean President Gabriel Boric is in Europe for the second time since coming to power. A week-long trip which begins with Germany where he landed on Monday June 10, then he will then travel to Sweden and Switzerland before ending with a visit to France.

2 mins

With our correspondent in Santiago, Naïla Derroisné

Surrounded by several of his ministers, Gabriel Boric is looking for investors to develop the Chilean national strategy around lithium, but also for the green energy sector. Human rights will also be on the agenda of the Chilean head of state who will discuss it with his European counterparts.

Europe needs Chile, and vice versa

To confront the climate crisis, Europe needs Chile, and vice versa. This is in essence the message delivered by Gabriel Boric to European countries which covet precious Chilean lithium, this metal essential to the energy transition and of which Chile is the second largest producer in the world.

But for the Chilean president, it is not a question of simply exporting this white gold, Gabriel Boric wants to get as many benefits as possible from it, in particular by creating added value chains. He therefore came to seek the know-how of European companies in this area.

Gabriel Boric at the Ukraine Peace Summit

His journey to the old continent does not end there. The Chilean president is inaugurating an economic forum this Tuesday in Germany around clean energies, in particular green hydrogen, which Chile wishes to further develop.

Still in Germany and on the subject of human rights, Gabriel Boric will speak about the victims of the ancient Colonia Dignidad who have still not obtained compensation from the German state.

The Chilean president will also participate in the Ukraine Peace Summit in Switzerland on June 15 and 16. Before a final stop in Paris where he will meet Emmanuel Macron.

Read alsoEU and Chile sign agreement on lithium and copper

rf-5-general