PRIME MINISTER DREW AND DELEGATION TO ATTEND CRITICAL EU-CELAC SUMMIT IN BRUSSELS

Basseterre, Saint Kitts and Nevis, July 12, 2023 (Press Secretary, PMO)- Heads of State and Government of the European Union (EU) and the Community of Latin American and the Caribbean States (CELAC) will be meeting in Brussels for the EU-CELAC Summit from July 17 to 18, 2023; the first in eight (8) years.

The Summit will be co-chaired by the President of the European Council, Mr. Charles Michel, and the Prime Minister of St. Vincent & Grenadines, Hon. Ralph E. Gonsalves, as pro-tempore Presidency of CELAC.

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and the Heads of State and Government of the thirty-three (33) CELAC Member States and the twenty-seven (27) EU Member States will be in attendance.

The delegation from Saint Kitts and Nevis includes the Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Hon. Dr. Terrance Drew; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Rt. Hon. Dr. Denzil Douglas; Minister of Sustainable Development; Environment and Climate Action, Hon. Dr. Joyelle Clarke; Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms. Kaye Bass; Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office, Ms. Naeemah Hazelle; and Press Secretary to the Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Mrs. Adelcia Connor-Ferlance.

The delegation departs the island on Saturday 15th July, and returns on Wednesday 19th July, 2023.

A dedicated meeting between Caribbean and EU Leaders will be held prior to the EU-CELAC Summit. The goal of this meeting is to hold a concentrated political conversation on pertinent mutually beneficial issues such as the green transition, climate finance, the structured cooperation between the EU and the Caribbean area, existing security challenges such as Haiti, and the larger geopolitical environment.

The Caribbean-EU Leaders Meeting is the only sub-regional meeting held on the sidelines of the Summit.

This Summit is an important political milestone in reinvigorating the bi-regional alliance. The EU-CELAC Foreign Affairs Ministers Meeting in Buenos Aires on October 27, 2022, reopened high-level political interaction between the two regions and supported a bi-regional Roadmap as a tangible symbol of a progressive and positive agenda.

The EU published a New Agenda for Relations with Latin America and the Caribbean on June 7 (adopted by the European Commission as a Joint Communication to the Council and the European Parliament), outlining its proposal for a renewed strategic collaboration with LAC ahead of the Summit.

The new agenda to strengthen the EU’s partnership with Latin America and the Caribbean can be viewed here, https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_23_3045.

During the Summit, Leaders will discuss several critical topics including climate financing; strengthening the common trade agenda; implementing the Global Gateway investment strategy to accelerate a fair green and digital transition and address inequalities; joining forces for justice, citizen security, and the fight against transnational organized crime; and cooperating to promote peace and security, democracy, rule of law, human rights, and humanitarian aid.

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