A Bold New Caribbean

THE EUROPEAN UNION GLOBAL GATEWAY STRATEGY IN THE CARIBBEAN

CARIBBEAN INVESMENT FORUM

By H.E. Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewska Head of Delegation, European Union to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean, the OECS and CARICOM/CARIFORUM

As EU Ambassador to CARICOM and CARIFORUM, as well as to the OECS, on top of my bilateral represen- tation to Barbados and the OECS countries, I am honoured to play a role shaping and explaining what the European Union has to offer to this wonderful region.

7

C urrent world events keep testing the resolve of common foundational principles for the Carib- bean and the European Union, such as multilateral- ism, reducing inequalities, and seeking a fairer and more sustainable economic and development model for our citizens to thrive. We have had extreme dis- ruptive events such as the COVID pandemic, which put our societies and economies to one of its tough- est tests, but have also brought us together in facing the threat. Now we face the ongoing consequenc- es of a unilateral war of aggression from Russia on a sovereign country, Ukraine, which has consequently led to an increase of cost of living across the world. In October 2022, the EU Commissioner for Internation- al Partnerships Ms Jutta Urpilainen met in Barbados with Caribbean Ministers and other high-level officials in the first EU-Caribbean Ministerial Meeting in five years. In July 2023, the first EU-CELAC Summit in eight years took place in Brussels, bringing together Heads of Government of Latin America, the Caribbean and the European Union. Heads adopted a strong declaration reaffirming how working closer together will be crucial to facing the multiple crises and challenges of our times.

These high-level discussions emphasized the European Union’s renewed engagement with the Caribbean, and provided the impetus to reinforce the importance of the long-standing partnership between the two regions in key areas such as fair and green transitions, clean and sustainable energies, transport infrastruc- ture, and inclusive and a human-centric digital transformation. In short, to strengthen the deep foundations upon which our dynamic relation- ship is built. The Summit was an important opportunity to reaffirm shared values of both regions and to advance the Global Gateway Investment Agenda (GGIA) for Latin America and the Ca- ribbean. The Global Gateway is the EU’s offer to bridge the existing investment gap in the areas of fair, green and digital transition, by using EU public financing to leverage private capital and investment for projects that deliver on key public policy objectives. Overall, Team Europe, EU