Opinion column of Manuela Caruz, Director of Networks at Eurochile.

Less than 60 days ago, in an unthinkable and catastrophic way, the health crisis caused by the worldwide proliferation of the Covid-19 virus has forced us to rethink our way of relating, working and living. And maybe it’s forever. The global pandemic has been in charge of letting us know that it is not in our hands to manage life and everything that surrounds us.

In this scenario of uncertainty, institutions -public and private- will have to find new ways to connect, get closer and relate to each other in order to generate spaces for cooperation that allow the world to continue growing and developing.

Technologies emerge more strongly today as a basic necessity tool that allows us in a practical way to connect, get closer – in the middle of an obligatory social distance-, work and study, and that in the face of the economic and social impacts that the COVID-19, becomes an opportunity to improve strategies, efforts and work, but at the same time implies the risk of deepening existing inequalities.

Now more than ever, cooperation between two or more organizations will require audacity and innovation, to be able to carry out activities that we will not be able to carry out alone, and in which the social distancing puts us more than one obstacle. The identification of common objectives between distant organizations will be an added value that in turn will identify new challenges for a new way of relating, the famous “new normal”

In Europe, this crisis takes us more than a month in advance, therefore, matchmaking events, trade missions, agendas and participation in European fairs have had to be quickly reinvented, and the existing and long-used models have been drastically changed. This puts us in an innovative and bold and flexible change scenario for our clients, and today we must get on this unknown train and know how to be attentive to the new needs that arise.

In this context, the European Community Chile-Eurochile Business Foundation, the business bridge between Chile and Europe, has a very important role in being a pioneer and learning first-hand about the challenges and new strategies that are being managed in Europe. In this way, we invite you to be part of the Foundation, to shorten physical distances and to work together so that everyone, cooperating, can find the opportunities and solutions we need to face this global pandemic.