On behalf of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, Minister Jean Asselborn chaired the 12th ministerial political dialogue meeting of the Cabo Verde - European Union special partnership, established 15 years ago, in Praia on 31 January 2023.
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Jean Asselborn; Rui Figueiredo Soares Minister for Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Regional Integration of Cabo Verde
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Group photo
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Group photo
The political dialogue meeting allowed Minister Asselborn and his Cape Verdean counterpart, Rui Figueiredo Soares, co-presidents of the meeting, to have an in-depth exchange of views on the implementation and results of the EU-Cabo Verde special partnership, current international and regional issues, as well as political and economic developments in the EU and in Cabo Verde.
Participants were able to discuss and acknowledge the significant achievements of the special partnership to date, particularly in the areas of sustainable development, infrastructure, mobility and trade, but also in dealing with crises such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic, which severely affected the global economy and that of the archipelago in particular.
In this context, Minister Asselborn mentioned in particular the partnership for mobility and visa facilitation, the GSP+ Generalised System of Preferences, giving Cape Verdean products access to the EU's internal market, in particular in the fisheries sector, as well as investments in priority areas such as connectivity through the Ellalink submarine cable and the development of the port of Maio within the framework of the "Global Gateway".
Faced with the current food and energy crises, Cabo Verde and the EU have expressed their confidence in this special partnership to overcome the difficulties. The future priorities of the partnership will therefore remain sustainable development, good governance, environmental and energy transition, protection of biodiversity, promotion of the blue economy, digitalisation and modernisation of infrastructure.
In this context, the meeting also reaffirmed the commitment of the European Union and Cabo Verde to the defence of multilateralism, international law and democracy.
Finally, Minister Asselborn underlined that Luxembourg and the European Union will support Cabo Verde in facing the current crises and challenges, given that Cabo Verde, as a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), is exposed to particular social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities and risks.
The ministerial meeting concluded with the signing of a joint press release and a lunch at the Hotel and Tourism School of Cabo Verde, which was created within the framework of a Luxembourg Cooperation project and offers training in all catering and hotel professions, a key sector of the Cape Verdean economy, to more than 200 students.
Press release by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs