Five Ministers and the Junior Minister of Finance participated in the opening ceremony. Apart from the speeches of the cochairs, three ministers addressed the audience, namely the Minister for Agro industry, Food security, fisheries and Blue Economy, the Minister for Information Technology, Communication and Innovation as well as the Junior Minister of Finance. All of them called for concrete outcome from this Dialogue in the areas of blue economy, port infrastructure, finance, digital transformation and AI.

On the EU side, seven ambassadors and two representatives from nine member states (Belgium, Czech Republic, Germany, Ireland, Spain, France, Poland, Portugal and Sweden) participated in the dialogue. 

The agenda included several subjects of common interest including financial governance, fisheries and blue economy, trade, regional integration, the Global Gateway, maritime security as well as education and research.

In his opening statement, H.E.Mr Oskar Benedikt stated : 

-         “We are living in turbulent times; instability is the order of the day and in Europe, we face war and pressure from all sides. In this situation, we must remain reliable partners – this is of utmost importance. The EU-Mauritius relations are based on shared values: democracy, rule of law, human rights, international law, and multilateralism. We are eager to strengthen our relationship, particularly in the areas of democracy, financial matters, climate change, the preservation of Mauritius’s natural resources, blue economy, circular economy as well as trade and investment. We are also ready to cooperate in other areas, such as innovation, education, and student exchanges through university partnerships, to include Mauritius in research and innovation networks. “

The EU delegation held a number of meetings in the margins of the Dialogue. They met with the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the National Assembly. They exchanged views with the private sector and civil society organisations on subjects such as governance and the environment. They also attended a Chopin piano recital organised by the Embassy of Poland as part of the actions organised under the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.