Santo Domingo, June 22, 2023. This week, a delegation from the European Euroclima Program completed an exploratory mission to the Dominican Republic as part of the Country Dialogue process to determine how the Caribbean nation and the European Union can increase their collaboration in the fight against the effects of climate change.

The Euroclima delegation included representatives of the European Union Delegation in the Dominican Republic, the German (GiZ) and Spanish (AECID and FIIAPP) cooperation agencies, which act as facilitators of the Country Dialogue process; representatives of the Euroclima program secretariat.

All of them held meetings with representatives of the three institutions that are the focal points of the program in the country: the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, the National Council for Climate Change and the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development.

The meetings explored possible areas of collaboration between the Euroclima Program and the Dominican Republic, identifying the country's needs in the areas of climate action, preservation of biodiversity and promotion of the circular economy.

A roadmap with time indicators was also agreed upon to accelerate the Country Dialogue process. This process should culminate in the elaboration of the Euroclima-Dominican Republic Action Plan in the coming months. Investments that may come to the Caribbean country within the framework of the European Union's Global Gateway Strategy will play an important role in this plan. This strategy seeks to promote smart, clean, and secure links in the digital, energy and transport sectors, as well as to boost health, education, and research systems worldwide.