The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) is a small country made up of 29 coral atolls and islands spread over 1.94 million km² in the central Pacific, making Fisheries an important issue for this small island state of only 56 000. The average GDP per capita is one of the highest in the Pacific but still RMI sill faces some of the worst social indicators, particularly in the outer islands.

Infectious and lifestyle diseases have reached almost epidemic levels, infant and child mortality is alarmingly high and the national budget is highly dependent on foreign assistance to sustain basic operating costs. Development is also hindered by RMI’s small size and isolation, poor communications and its vulnerability to natural disasters and climate change.

Key issues in EU-Marshall Islands relations

Under the 10^th European Development Fund, focus is placed on outer-island development. Better infrastructure and secure access to energy and clean water are needed on the most remote islands. Work needs to be done to ensure the long-term energy needs of RMI are met and done so in an environmentally conscious manner.

RMI and the European Community signed a new Country Strategy Paper in October 2007 for the period of 2008–13 and with a total budget of € 5.8 M. The main focal sector in the document is water and energy.

Renewable energy has been highlighted as the key issue under the water and energy focal area. Given the difficulty of delivering secure energy access to the outer islands, promotion of renewable energy is the best technical and economic option to ensure secure energy supplies. Renewable energy also contributes to RMI’s plan for poverty reduction and rural development. With reduced production and delivery costs, more people across even the most remote islands will have better access to electricity supplies. This will in turn strongly contribute to the country’s overall economic growth.

In addition, RMI is concerned about environmental issues such as climate change. Being composed of low-lying islands means the country is extremely vulnerable to changes in ocean levels. RMI is thus working to fully comply with the green/blue strategy for the Pacific.