Global Gateway

Global Gateway is the European strategy to boost smart, clean and secure connections in digital, energy and transport sectors, and to strengthen health, education and research systems across the world. Through a 'Team Europe approach', Global Gateway brings together the EU, its Member States and their financial and development institutions to mobilise the private sector to leverage investments promoting sustainable growth. 
 
Between 2021 and 2027, Team Europe is mobilising up to €300 billion of investments for sustainable, transformational and high-quality projects, taking into account the needs of partner countries and ensuring lasting benefits for local communities. This allows EU’s partners to create resilient and sustainable societies and economies, but also create opportunities for the EU Member States’ private sector to invest and remain competitive, whilst ensuring the highest environmental and labour standards, as well as sound financial management. By 2023, 179 billion EUR in investments have been mobilised across the world, advancing 225 flagship projects.

It supports partner countries’ strategic autonomy, aligning their interests and EU interests, by scaling up high-quality geostrategic investments and promoting sustainable financing. The strategy, adopted in 2021, stands for sustainable and trusted connections that work for people and the planet, to tackle the most pressing global challenges, from climate change and protecting the environment, to improving health security and boosting competitiveness and global supply chains. Global Gateway is the EU contribution to narrowing the global investment gap, accompanying the social and just green and digital transitions beyond European borders and boosting competitiveness and security of global supply chains.  

Global Gateway boosts smart, clean and secure links in the digital, transport, energy and climate-relevant sectors, and strengthens education, research and health networks. EU investment in the five key areas linked to human and social development (digital, energy, transport, health, education and research) will contribute to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, both in partner countries and in Europe.

The flagship Global Gateway initiative in Panama is the Regional Data Centre CopernicusLAC, with an EU contribution of 12 million EUR. The Centre is part of the EU-LAC Digital Alliance, launched in March 2023, which includes also the extension to the whole region of the BELLA submarine telecommunications cable that links Portugal and Brazil, the establishment of another Copernicus regional centre in Chile, as well as regional policy dialogues on data governance, cybersecurity, e-governance and connectivity. Another key Global Gateway project in Panama is Universal access to energy in Ngäbe-Buglé.

Panama is a key partner for the Global Gateway Green Maritime Corridors and Hubs (GGGSCH), a flagship initiative of the European Union aimed at accelerating the decarbonisation of the maritime sector while promoting global cooperation and equitable growth. The maritime and digital corridor between the Port of Algeciras in Spain and the Panama Canal Authority became one of two pilots in the region at the Global Gateway Forum, held in Brussels in October 2025. The European Union is also supporting the development of a National Strategy for the Decarbonisation of the Maritime Sector, as well as the creation of a low-carbon alternative fuels hub and a Panama-Colombia-European Union green maritime corridor. On 27 and 28 January, Panama hosts the Global Gateway Regional Workshop on Green Maritime Corridors for Latin America and the Caribbean, organised in collaboration with the International Maritime University of Panama, bringing together more than 120 participants from authorities, the private sector and financial institutions from 13 countries in the region and the European Union.

In November 2025, the European Investment Bank (EIB) and Naturgy Energy Group signed a $300 million loan to support the modernization and expansion of Panama's electricity grid. This is the largest loan signed by the EIB for a private company in Central America. These efforts are part of the European Union's support for electricity market integration in the subregion, including the Panama-Colombia interconnection, which seeks to ensure access to stable and sustainable energy.

The EU Delegation in Panama actively gathers information on the principal investment projects which could have an interest for the EU-LAC Global Gateway investment package. Global Gateway projects are designed together with the partner country to ensure it benefits from the EU investment offer and the results improve the necessary infrastructure and connectivity.

The European Commission has launched the Global Gateway Investment Hub, a platform that offers European companies personalised guidance on how to access EU support for their investment plans within the framework of Global Gateway. Check for upcoming information sessions and the investment project submission procedure.

Global Gateway also supports EU companies through grants from the Early-Stage Investment Mechanism. Access the call for proposals now.