Energy, health among top priorities during upcoming EU Trade Mission to Guyana

By Rupa Seenaraine

A European Union (EU) Trade Mission is expected in Guyana later this month, with a heavy focus on forging greater economic cooperation with Guyana in the areas of health, climate, energy, and regional connectivity.
Making this announcement was European Union Ambassador Rene Van Nes during a press briefing on Friday. The trade mission will function under the premise of the Global Gateway initiative – an EU strategy to invest in infrastructure projects and establish economic partnerships through smart, clean, and secure linkages.
“It’s all about enhancing smart, clean, secure connections. Connections between people, connections in the digital domain, energy connections, and transport connections. It is all about strengthening health and education and research facilities globally in a sustainable way; sustainable not only from an environmental perspective but sustainable from a social perspective, from a people’s perspective, from a perspective of finance and economy.”
For Guyana, it was agreed that the agenda will focus on producing pharmaceuticals locally, possibilities to fund solar off-grid systems in the hinterland, and lastly, the connection within the Caribbean Community (Caricom).
“So, all of these investments are of course tremendously relevant and interesting for European companies. And hopefully, European companies will be interesting for Guyana, as they can make use of the many research institutions that Europe has to offer. They’re often involved in very high-quality products or services.”
Ambassador Van Nes shared that they reached out to European Member States and advertised that Guyana ‘is the country to do business’ in. Over 20 companies have indicated interest, with a breakdown of eight from the Netherlands, four from Spain, two from Germany, two from Finland, and one each from Belgium, Italy, Austria, Denmark, Ireland, and France.
Among the large enterprises include Siemens, the provider of turbines for the massive Gas-to-Shore Project. Nokia, a well-known Finnish company that specialises in technology and consumer electronics, is also on the roster. There are also some financial institutions, such as the French Development Agency and CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean.
“So, the focus of that mission will be to go into a number of the sectors, to explore areas of development, to look for possible partners, to look for investment opportunities, and we hope that that indeed will lead to a number of very concrete relations, investment opportunities that will materialise in the periods after that,” Van Nes underlined.

The beginning
The trade mission is set to arrive on November 20, 2023, for the three-day engagement.
Asked whether it is too late to come to the market since many trade missions have already made strides to connect with the business community here, the Ambassador said Guyana is just getting started.
“What you see now is only the beginning. Guyana is only starting its phenomenal growth trajectory and so, I don’t think it’s too late. I praise those that were earlier. I think these were sort of the first to come to the market and yes, they will benefit from that early access, but I absolutely believe that Guyana will have much more to offer and that it is therefore not too late at all.”

Visa waiver
In forging connectivity and relations with EU partners, one of the key concerns raised by the business community and backed by President Irfaan Ali has been visa access. At this time, Guyanese citizens are required to travel to neighbouring Suriname to get their Schengen visas processed.
Last July President Ali discussed Guyana’s nomination letter for visa-free Schengen status with Slovenia during the European Union-Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (EU-CELAC) Summit.
The Ambassador supported sentiments that this issue has been a hindrance to working together but he also drew attention to the stringent process of getting a waiver approved.
“It’s clear if you want to work together, it’s important that you can visit each other and the fact that it is so difficult for people in Guyana to get this Schengen visa is that there’s certainly a hindrance.”
“It is not the European institutions that can decide on that. You need individual European Member States that want to promote this case and say yes, either bring the facility here so that you can apply for a Schengen visa in Georgetown, that would already make your life a lot easier instead of travelling to Paramaribo,” Van Nes contended.
Coming out of the trade mission visit and engagements with President Ali and Cabinet, he added that this message will become even clearer. One of the conditions for every country that wants to be considered for the visa waiver is to possess a passport with biometric data.
The EU official reasoned, “It is not to make life difficult for anyone. It is because that’s how customs these days work. If you want to secure your borders, you want to have a passport that contains the data that you need in order to make sure that the person that is in front of you is indeed the person that is in front of you.”
Guyana has been extending ties around the world, and the Government has assured that investors can expect an enabling business environment.
In March, the British Chamber of Commerce (BritCham) was launched in Guyana, coming months after visa restrictions were removed for Guyanese visitors to the United Kingdom (UK).
Then in April, the India-Guyana Chamber of Commerce (IGCC) was formed, thus paving the way for the facilitation of trade, investment, and cultural exchanges.
Later in May, the Government of Ghana commissioned the first Ghanaian Chamber of Commerce in Guyana. There is also an American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham).