European Union

Mrs. Daniela Tramacere arrived in Port of Spain on 3 January to take up duty as Chargé d`Affaires a.i. of the European Union Delegation to Trinidad and Tobago. Mrs. Tramacere is part of the European External Action Service (EEAS), the diplomatic service created in 2011 to support the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affaires and Security Policy. This newly created diplomatic corps is composed of former EU officials (Commission and Council), as well as diplomats from the 27 Member States of the EU. Mrs. Tramacere is an Italian national and has long standing experience in development cooperation and foreign relations. She is a macro economist by training. She joined the European Commission External Relations services in 1996 after having worked in several development cooperation programmes for different institutions and bodies both in Latin America and Asia. Before being posted in Trinidad and Tobago, she has been in charge of political analysis, relations and programming of cooperation with Somalia in the EEAS Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Previously, she had served as Head of Sector, Occupied Palestenian Territories and Middle East at the European Commission Huamitarian Aid Office (2008-2010) as Head of the Economic Co-operation Section in the EU Delegation to India, Nepal and Bhutan in Delhi (2005 – 2008) and Head of the Cooperation Section in the EU Delegation to Argentina in Buenos Aires) (2001- 2005).

Trinidad and Tobago and the European Union have enjoyed a longstanding partnership. As the new European Chargé d`Affaires a.i. in Trinidad and Tobago, under the authority of H.E. Robert Kopecky, Head of Delegation (resident in Georgetown, Guyana), Mrs. Tramacere will pursue to consolidate Trinidad and Tobago - EU relations in the political, economic and social fields. One of the most important areas of cooperation between the European Union and Trinidad and Tobago has been development cooperation in the context of the Cotonou Agreement. Over the years, the European Union has funded development programmes and projects in Trinidad and Tobago for over € 100 million (close to TT$ 1 billion). These have covered areas such as protection of the environment, development of infrastructure, improvement of health care, poverty reduction, improved education, the fight against illegal drugs, anti-money-laundering to mention the most important examples.

The present cooperation programmes focus, among others, on assistance towards a more competitive non-energy sector, improvement of the environmental policies in place and diversification of the former sugar industry and increase domestic food production. The EU Delegation in Port of Spain will actively contribute to pursue the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement between Cariforum and the EU also by being responsible for several regional cooperation programmes, between CARIFORUM (the CARICOM Member-States plus the Dominican Republic) and the European Union.

More information on the work of the EU Delegation to Trinidad and Tobago