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PETER CAVENDISH

EVERY YEAR on May 9, Europe Day celebrates peace and unity in Europe.
It is the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration.
On this day in 1950, Robert Schuman, then French minister of foreign affairs, gave a historic speech in which he proposed a new form of political co-operation for Europe that would make war between the nations of the continent unthinkable.
This speech is considered to be the founding text of European construction.
We seldom talk about politics as being creative. But this was truly creative and imaginative. The Schuman Declaration and the subsequent creation of the European Union was perhaps the most creative political project of the 20th century. Schuman and his colleagues imagined it and made it happen. An idea, a vision that delivered long lasting peace and prosperity, not only on paper but in reality.
Fast forward to today when the EU is one of the world leaders and aware of its responsibility at the global level to expand that circle of peace and prosperity. That the EU is collectively the biggest donor for international aid in the world, the first trading partner, and the first foreign investor for many countries in the world testify to the scope of our global engagement.
Of course, the EU invests in the development of this region as well. Nearly five decades of close partnership with the Caribbean rests on a solid foundation of shared values, like-mindedness and co-operation. The European Union gave around 150 million euros in grants to the Caricom Secretariat and its agencies in the period 2014-2020 alone to further develop the region.
I take this opportunity to congratulate Caricom on its upcoming 50th anniversary and wish you much success on your integration journey in the coming years.
Last October, leaders representing 16 Caribbean countries met with the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, in Barbados and agreed on the main priorities for co-operation until 2027.
The end result was the establishment of three Caribbean-EU partnerships, which move away from a purely donor-recipient model to a partnership among equals:
* The Partnership for a Caribbean Green Deal;
* The Partnership for Economic Resilience and Trade; and
* The Partnership for Governance, Security and Human Development.
These three partnerships form part of the EU’s €300 billion infrastructure investment strategy, Global Gateway. This strategy is our offer to partner countries for sustainable and trusted connections. It will help to address the most pressing global challenges, from fighting climate change, to improving health systems, and boosting competitiveness and security of global supply chains.
As Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the covid19-pandemic have made these challenges even more acute, we want to help our partners in addressing them and tackling inequalities. I am pleased to reaffirm our strong partnership with the Caribbean with a solid contribution of over €800 million until 2027.
Digital is one of the new pillars of support of the EU with partner countries.
In that regard, the European Union-Latin America and the Caribbean Digital Alliance, launched in March 2023, constitutes a comprehensive political and co-operation framework for digital engagement with the region.
Specific projects in the field of digital in TT include a counter terrorism technology programme and also a project to "accelerate digital financial inclusion."
We have been very encouraged by the strong progress by the Government of TT in advancing its digital finance goals. In particular, the Government has employed a unique approach to drive its agenda, with several achievements to date since establishing the agenda in late 2020.
We are happy that TT’s citizens and institutions, with whom we have been working directly for nearly 50 years, have had many advantages from co-operation with the European Union.
Citizens have the benefit of travelling to Europe's Schengen Zone without a visa, of participating in the Erasmus+ educational funding programme to build educational capacity at third levels, including in the digital domain and international partnership (development) funding.
Funding is important – and we have invested more than €300 million (US$330 million) in TT over the course of 48 years.
EU expertise and training are also available.
Against the background of the recent Caricom regional symposium on violence as a public health issue, I am happy to announce that TT and the entire Caribbean are eligible for the EL PAcCTO technical assistance programme. EL PAcCTO stands for Europe Latin America Programme of Assistance against Transnational Organised Crime.
It is an international co-operation programme funded by the European Union that seeks to contribute to security and justice by supporting the fight against transnational organised crime in Latin America, but which is now extended to the Caribbean as well.
In its intervention, EL PAcCTO addresses the entire criminal chain from an integral perspective through its work in three components: police, justice and penitentiary.
Furthermore, I must refer to the 2008 Economic Partnership Agreement with TT, under which EU companies and citizens have had, and will continue to have, the benefit of original and creative products and services from this paradise twin-island state.
In conclusion, I want to thank the TT authorities once again for their principled stance, from the first day, on the war that Russia launched against Ukraine. TT has demonstrated its like-mindedness with an overwhelming majority of countries condemning Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, standing up for international law and a rules-based international order at the UN.
Thank you for being friends of the European Union and happy Europe Day!

HE Peter Cavendish is the ambassador of the European Union Delegation to TT

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