This week, President von der Leyen visited Bridgetown, Barbados, where she was invited to participate in the CARICOM Summit of Caribbean Heads of Government. Her visit was the occasion to reaffirm the value Europe places on its partnership with the Caribbean region.
President von der Leyen held a joint press conference with the host of the summit, Barbadian Prime Minister Mia Mottley on Thursday where she affirmed: "Despite being an ocean apart, Europe and the Caribbean are very close at heart. We are strong and vibrant democracies; we are convinced that it is of big importance to defend multilateralism and the rule of law; we believe in freedom and the right of people to choose their own future."
In particular, the President emphasised the importance of standing together in the face of climate change and stressed the important role small islands nations hold on the global stage on this topic. In her remarks at the opening ceremony of the conference, the President said: "Europe understands how the fight against climate change is paramount to Caribbean states, because it is intrinsically linked to your very existence. We understand how fundamental it is for small islands to have a front seat at the table where you can be the strong voice you deserve to be for this cause. Let us be very clear. All continents will have to speed up the transition to climate neutrality. We all have to deal with the growing burden of climate change. Its impact is impossible to ignore."
Further, the President's visit underlined the central role that Global Gateway is having in the region: four ambitious projects were signed covering a green hydrogen storage project, access to pharmaceutical products, and satellite connectivity for remote areas.
The visit was also an opportunity for the President of the Commission to have several bilateral exchanges. Besides the Prime Minister of Barbados, she also met Andrew Holness, Prime Minister of Jamaica, and Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.
Furthermore, the situation in Haiti was also discussed and the President announced €20 million to support Haiti's population.
