GIFF JOHNSON
The European Union and the Marshall Islands have a strong and nuanced relationship that goes far beyond aid provided to this nation, the European Union ambassador told the Journal on her first visit to Majuro last month.
Ambassador Barbara Plinkert has been the EU’s representative to the RMI and multiple Pacific Island countries since 2023, but wasn’t able to make her initial visit to deliver her diplomatic credentials until last month, when she met President Hilda Heine.
Plinkert described as “wonderful news” the election of the Marshall Islands for a second term on the UN Human Rights Council. “I’m happy to see RMI back on the Human Rights Council,” she said. “We are very like-minded on human rights.”
On development aid, Plinkert noted that regionally in the Pacific, the EU is focusing its aid program on climate change, economic development and human resource development. Together with Marshall Islands leaders, the two countries agreed that EU aid in RMI would be focused on the water sector and prevention of gender-based violence.
During the ambassador’s visit to Majuro, she signed off on an agreement to provide six million Euros ($6.5 million) for the Addressing Climate Vulnerability in the Water Sector project, that is being managed and implemented between UNDP and the RMI EPA.
Other areas of current and future possible cooperation noted by Ambassador Plinkert:
- Support from the Global Partnership for Education, a program that is partially funded by the EU to provide innovative education solutions around the world. An idea under discussion is applying for a multi-million dollar grant to support digitization of education for the outer islands.
- Fisheries cooperation plays a major role in EU-RMI relations. The EU supports the UN Food and Agriculture Organization-managed FISH4ACP that is run in partnership with the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority. This focuses on adding value in the fisheries sector by expanding shore-based transshipment, cold storage and other services for the tuna industry. “This is an exciting project and we have a wonderful partner in MIMRA,” she said.
- Other fisheries cooperation is playing out with MIMRA’s advancement of gaining European Union certification of its Competent Authority, which is in charge of monitoring tuna industry companies for fish safety and illegal fishing prevention. This is a major step toward gaining access to the large EU food market. “The Competent Authority is the first step,” she said. “The next step is to sign an Economic Partnership Agreement.”
Plinkert noted that the EU current has Economic Partnership Agreements in place for Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Fiji and Samoa, while Niue, Tuvalu, Vanuatu and Tonga are moving through the process. The Federated States of Micronesia recently submitted an application and Plinkert said she spoke with RMI officials about this during her visit.
Once an Economic Partnership Agreement is in place, “the benefits are greater for the islands,” she said, pointing out these agreements give duty-free privileges for products from the islands entering the EU market, but the islands don’t provide duty-free entry for EU products. It also opens the door for support for private sector development, as well as other exports in addition to fish products.
In 2025, the RMI and European Union will begin discussing the next seven-year funding package. The current package expires in 2027.