The European Union (EU) Heads of Mission led by the Ambassador of the EU to Mauritius, Mr Vincent Degert, paid a courtesy call, yesterday evening, on the Prime Minister, Mr Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, at the New Treasury Building, Port Louis.
The EU delegation is in Mauritius in the context of the 9th Political Dialogue, an essential element of the EU-Mauritius overall framework of cooperation, which opened, yesterday, at the Westin Turtle Bay Resort & Spa in Balaclava.
In a statement after the courtesy call, Ambassador Degert stated that the meeting with the Prime Minister was very fruitful and focused mainly on discussions held during the Political Dialogue. He added that several other issues were also raised, namely post COVID-19 development, how to reconstruct the economy, and challenges brought about by new crisis such as the Russia-Ukraine conflict and its consequences on inflation, food production, energy and oil prices.
Furthermore, Ambassador Degert said that matters including governance in general and the exit of Mauritius from the EU’s black list were also taken up with Prime Minister Jugnauth. “We also spoke about maritime security which needs to be reinforced in the region especially amidst the increasing cases of armed trafficking during the past years and the need for countries in the region to collaborate”, he stressed.
Climate change issues were also evoked, highlighted Ambassador Degert, adding that the Prime Minister had expressed concern with regard to flash floods, droughts and the sea level rise affecting Mauritius. The need to mobilise international financing and implementing good projects on these issues were also on the agenda. The EU Ambassador underlined that the aim is to ensure that climate change does not have a significant impact on Mauritius.
