The European Union (EU) has pledged USD2 million for the counter-terrorism efforts of the Maldives. The pledge was made on the margins of the Sixth Maldives-EU Policy Dialogue.
During the dialogue, the Maldives and the EU member states highlighted the growing momentum in the relations between the two sides and recalled the successful discussions of the recent Third Maldives–EU Senior Officials meeting held in October. The Maldives also shared its recent policy priorities and highlighted the significant progress the Maldives has achieved in consolidating democracy and ensuring good governance. The EU member states reiterated their commitment to continue supporting the Maldives in the efforts to advance accountability and strengthen the justice sector of the Maldives.
On the climate front, the Maldives expressed appreciation to the EU for its commitment to enhancing cooperation in the areas of environmental protection, mitigation, and adaptation. The Maldives also commended the EU for its commitment to increase climate financing towards adaptation measures and expressed appreciation for their efforts at the recent COP27, to increase the availability of climate financing, especially to Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
The Maldives and the EU also emphasised the significance of furthering security cooperation, especially in counter-terrorism. The Maldives briefed on the progress it has made in implementing the National Action Plan on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and addressed security vulnerabilities and priority areas including maritime safety and security, formulation of strategies, and development of the capacity of intelligence agencies.
The EU reaffirmed its support to the Maldives and launched its new USD2 million counter-terrorism project in the Maldives on the margins of the dialogue, focused on criminal justice, law enforcement, maritime security, and prison management. The Maldives acknowledged the significant growth in tourist arrivals from Europe and reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the safety and security of its people and European tourists visiting the Maldives.
Furthermore, the EU commended the strong economic recovery achieved by the Maldives especially following the impact of the pandemic. The Maldives highlighted potential investment opportunities for European businesses in the Maldives and expressed interest to promote and strengthen business ties with the EU and the Member States through initiatives such as the Second Maldives–EU Business Roundtable.
The Maldives also reiterated its interest for the EU to consider granting duty-free access to its fisheries products. The Maldives also reiterated its request to obtain Visa-free travel for its citizens to EU member states and welcomed more EU member states to join the Visa Facilitation Service (VFS) Centre established in the Maldives in March 2020. Italy announced the re-opening of VFS Italy during the Policy Dialogue.