STEFANO Manservisi, director-general for International Cooperation and Development in the European Commission, based in Brussels, is leading a high-level European Union team to Jamaica, starting today.

Foreign Minister Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, in a release yesterday, said Manservisi will lead the high-level delegation to Kingston from February 1 to 2 for regional and bilateral talks with several high-level government representatives from Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.

“Mr Manservisi’s visit comes at an important juncture, especially as we prepare for a new chapter in the rich history of development cooperation between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group, of which Jamaica is a founding member,” she said.

Jamaica recently held the chair of the CARIFORUM group within the ACP and is scheduled to assume the presidency of the ACP during the period February 1 to to July 31, 2018.

During the visit, Manservisi will meet with Prime Minister Andrew Holness, Senator Johnson Smith, Minster of Justice Delroy Chuck and Minister of Finance Audley Shaw. These meetings, the statement said, will address aspects of the EU/Caribbean/Jamaica relationship, the CARIFORUM-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) as well as cooperation in the areas of security, justice and energy. He will also hold meetings with representatives of EU Member States and with development partners.

A highlight of the visit will be the grant financing signing ceremony involving the IDB and the Government of Jamaica. The grant will support a multimillion-dollar energy management and efficiency programme.

Today, Manservisi will deliver a public lecture entitled: The EU and the Caribbean: a proposal for a modern partnership beyond 2020 at the University of the West Indies. He will also tour sections of downtown Kingston, including the Ward Theatre and Justice Square.

http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/high-level-eu-team-arrives-in-jamaica-today_124089