‘Green recovery, education, youth Development, priority of EU’

Kathmandu, Oct. 9

Newly appointed Ambassador of the European Union to Nepal, Veronique Lorenzo, has said that the EU has given priority to green recovery, education and youth development.

Talking to journalists at the Delegation of the European Union in Nepal on Monday, she said that equipping Nepal with the capacity to move ahead with the programmes of green development, access to and inclusion in education, employment for youth and promotion of information and communication technology were priorities of EU.  

In Nepal, energy and infrastructure support is the EU's area of cooperation. "Our cooperation is changing. We often see the bottlenecks which could be resolved with small initiatives," said Lorenzo while adding that the EU is moving from grants to investment and the role of the European Investment Bank would be important in it.

While stressing on meaningful cooperation with the stakeholders of various sectors in Nepal, she said that working with the private sector in economic development is also her priority.

"Meanwhile, development of digital and ICT sector development and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be the other areas of cooperation between the EU and Nepal," said Lorenzo.

She also expressed her commitment to supporting Nepal in the process of its graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) to a developing one. Since Nepal is likely to lose various preferential treatment in the markets of developed nations, she maintained that the EU would expand its support through the GSP Plus facility to provide zero customs duty for a number of products from Nepal.

However, more negotiations between the two side is needed.

According to her, Nepal should get prepared for graduation before seeking support in the smooth transition.

Likewise, Lorenzo said that the exchanges in culture, business, and other areas would be continued and there would be business fair, forums, cultural exchanges and other bilateral events.

According to her, regarding Nepal's removal from the Air Safety List, an assessment mission was conducted last year and a decision could be taken next month, in November, after the air safety committee completes the review.

The EU has barred Nepali aircraft from flying in the European skies since 2013. 

Published in The Rising Nepal on 10 October 2023.