ABOUT US
Who we are
The EU Delegation to Sri Lanka and the Maldives is one of over 130 European Union Delegations around the world. It plays a diplomatic and development role in helping achieve political, economic and social reforms in both countries.
What we do
The EU Delegation in Sri Lanka is governed by the 1975 Commercial Cooperation Agreement and the 1995 Agreement on Partnership and Development signed with the Government of Sri Lanka. The Cooperation Agreement aims to enhance and develop, through dialogue and partnership, the various aspects of cooperation between the EU and Sri Lanka.
Under this framework, cooperation is based on the partners’ mutual respect for democratic principles and human rights. These agreements give the EU the mandate to operate in the country.
The current agreement covers a number of key areas of cooperation, including; diversification of trade and investment; networking between EU and Sri Lankan business communities; strengthening technical, economic and cultural linkages and providing technical assistance to Sri Lanka to interact more effectively with the EU; supporting Sri Lanka's efforts to improve the living conditions of the poorer sections of the population; green recovery, environmental protection and sustainable management of natural resources.
The EU Delegation to Sri Lanka opened in 1995. The office is also accredited to the Maldives.
The EU Ambassador who heads the Delegation office is accredited to both Sri Lanka and the Maldives and has full diplomatic status.
Diplomatic relations with the Maldives were established in 1983, with the Head of Delegation in Sri Lanka being accredited as the non-resident Ambassador to the Maldives.
The EU and Maldives have maintained close cooperation over the past few decades. Since 2015, the Government of Maldives and the EU Heads of Missions have held an annual Policy Dialogue, co-chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the EU Ambassador. The first annual Senior Officials Meeting between the EU and the Maldives was held in 2020.
The EU supports the Maldives in a number of key areas, including in the fight against climate change, promoting human rights and democracy, good governance and institution-building, strengthening local governance, capacity building of civil society, and the empowerment of women. The Maldives has also benefited from assistance to respond to, and recover from, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Our Office
Ambassador
Carmen MORENO
Political, Trade and Communications Section
Head: Lars BREDAL
Deputy: Anne VAUGIER-CHATTERJEE
Operations Section
Deputy: Edoardo SPACCA
Contracts and Finance Section
Head: Alexandru MORCOV
Deputy: Maja BIERNACKA
Administration Section
Head: Johan SNIJCKERS