EU in all of Uruguay
As part of the “European Union in all of Uruguay” initiative, a delegation of Ambassadors of the European Union and its Member States, led by Ambassador Petros Mavromichalis, toured the departments of Salto and Paysandú from April 14 to 16.
This initiative provides a space for meeting and building relationships, where the EU reaches out to different parts of Uruguay to engage in dialogue, listen, and share with local communities.
More than just an institutional tour, the visit was an opportunity to strengthen exchange through direct contact, focusing on shared values and generating an accessible and approachable presence in the region.
ueenuruguay
Upon arriving in each department, the EU delegation was received by the Governor of each department – Carlos Albisu in Salto and Nicolás Olivera in Paysandú – with whom the ambassadors discussed the current situation of the department, the role of the European Union and its Member States in Uruguay, and opportunities for cooperation, among other topics.
ueenuruguay
During the visit, three talks were held at local universities. The first two – at the University of the Republic in Salto and the Technological University in Paysandú – were given by the EU team and covered the scope of the EU-Mercosur Agreement, the priorities of the Global Gateway strategy for Uruguay, and study opportunities in Europe funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ program. The third, at the Catholic University in Salto, was given by Ambassador Mavromichalis and former Undersecretary of Foreign Affairs Nicolás Albertoni, who spoke about the EU-Mercosur Agreement and its implications for Uruguay.
ueenuruguay
The European delegation toured companies in both departments of significance to the EU (the SAMAN rice mill, fruit growers Frutura and Forbel, forestry company Ponsse, and Alcoholes del Uruguay’s bioethanol plant). Ambassadors also met with the Uruguayan delegation of the Joint Technical Commission for the Salto Grande hydroelectric dam.
The visit also included cultural stops, such as the Larrañaga Theater, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the Basilica of San Juan Bautista in Salto, and the renovated Plaza Constitución, the Basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary, and the Monument to Perpetuity in Paysandú. It should be noted that, within the framework of the visit and with the support of the local governments, the EU launched an itinerant European film festival, consisting of a series of eleven award-winning films produced in fifteen different EU Member States, which will be screened in theatres of the cities of Salto and Paysandú.
ueenuruguay
The schedule also included meetings with business leaders and local civil society in each department, to delve deeper into the EU's Global Gateway strategy, which seeks to promote sustainable investments in the digital, energy, transport and green transition sectors, among others.
ueenuruguay
