The Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Mauritius, Marjaana Sall and the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, the Honourable Pravind Jugnauth signed a new technical cooperation facility for the amount of 2 million euros. 

The Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Mauritius, H.E. Marjaana Sall said: "The Technical Cooperation Facility that we are signing here today is the first initiative to be implemented in the framework of the EU-Mauritius bilateral cooperation programme up to 2020. It will support the process for Vision 2030 which aims at transforming Mauritius into a High Income Country." 

The European Union and the Republic of Mauritius have a longstanding partnership. This partnership now covers a wide range of policy areas, including: maritime security, trade and investment opportunities, environmental protection, climate change mitigation, migration and culture.  

The EU accompanies the Republic of Mauritius to evolve to a High Income Country. The EU-Mauritius bilateral cooperation programme up to 2020, which was signed in June for the amount of 9.9 million euros, is in line with the Government priorities to improve the human capital base, and to contribute to unlock growth. The programme targets the Higher Education sector while putting emphasis on Research and Innovation. 

The new technical cooperation facility of 2 million euros (approximately 80 million Rupees), which was signed today, is the first initiative to be implemented in the framework of the EU-Mauritius bilateral cooperation programme.  

The facility will support the preparation and implementation of projects, and provide appropriate technical support to the Government in areas of mutual interest related to EU polices. The facility will also provide for studies, analytical work, training, seminars, peer to peer learning and knowledgesharing initiatives that will contribute to enhancing capacity building.