(L-R) Cape Verde's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Regional Integration, Rui Alberto Figueiredo Soares; Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Action;
Credit: MAE
On Friday 15 March 2024, Luxembourg and Cape Verde held the 23rd Partnership Commission, an annual meeting whose aim is to discuss the broad outlines of Luxembourg’s cooperation relations with this partner country since 1993.
On this occasion, a delegation composed of three Cape Verdean ministers – the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and Regional Integration of Cape Verde, Rui Alberto Figueiredo Soares, the Minister of Agriculture and Environment, Gilberto Silva, and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy, Alexandre Monteiro, visited Luxembourg. They were received by the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Action, Xavier Bettel, and by the Minister of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity, Serge Wilmes. As part of the visit, Minister Figueiredo Soares also had a meeting with Prime Minister Luc Frieden. For his part, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Energy, Alexandre Monteiro, had a meeting with the Minister of Economy, SME, Energy and Tourism, Lex Delles.
The 23rd Partnership Commission, co-chaired by the two countries’ cooperation ministers, was an opportunity to take stock of progress in the implementation of projects within the framework of the cooperation programme "Development-Climate-Energy" (PIC DCE), signed in 2020. The PIC DCE aims to strengthen coherence and synergies between development actions and other policy areas. It is implemented jointly by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Defence, Cooperation and Foreign Trade, the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity as well as by the General Directorate of Energy of the Ministry of Economy.
During the Partnership Commission, it was highlighted that activities worth nearly €25 million are planned for this year. These include in particular the installation of a desalination plant powered entirely by solar energy, capable of producing drinking water to meet the needs of the island of Brava, the restructuring of the system of financing professional training, which has already benefited 2,300 young people, or a project aimed at improving hygiene conditions and access to water for nearly one in two schoolchildren in the country.
The 23rd Partnership Commission was closed with the signing by Xavier Bettel and his Cape Verde counterpart of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) formalising support of €547,710 to the Cape Verde National Statistics Institute (INE). This MoU aims to strengthen the human, material and technological capacities of the INE, to improve the coverage and quality of statistical production, and to strengthen communication, dissemination and use of official statistics.
Minister Bettel emphasised in this context: “The Partnership Commission allowed us to assess the progress made and to look at the major steps to come within the framework of the current CIP called ‘Development – Climate – Energy’ (PIC DCE), which is scheduled to close at the end of 2025. It was also an opportunity to discuss the future configuration of our cooperation relations based on the interests and needs of Cape Verde, and the expertise of Luxembourg. I congratulate Cape Verde for its resilience in the face of the successive crises of recent years, which have nonetheless left their mark. In this context, I reaffirm the full support of Luxembourg Cooperation in Cape Verde. I also welcome our common attachment to an international order based on multilateralism, international law, peace and the rule of law.”
For his part, Minister Wilmes underlined: “It is with great pleasure that the Ministry of Environment, Climate and Biodiversity contributes to the close cooperation between our two countries through its international climate finance programme. Issues linked to climate change are in fact at the heart of this indicative cooperation programme ‘Development-Climate-Energy’, which notably includes projects to strengthen climate governance as well as projects to adapt to climate change on five different islands.”
During their meeting, Minister Monteiro and Minister Delles were able to take stock of cooperation in matters of renewable energy from both countries. In this context, Minister Delles submitted a feasibility study on the production of renewable hydrogen in Cape Verde, financed by Luxembourg, Minister Monteiro. Furthermore, a MoU, relating to informal collaboration and one-off technical support for the implementation of the infrastructure project for a water turbine pumping station for the storage of renewable energy on the island of Santiago between the Société Électrique de l'Our SA (SEO) and the National Directorate of Industry, Commerce and Energy of Cape Verde, was signed.
Finally, the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Claude Wiseler, as well as members of the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs, Cooperation, Foreign Trade and the Great Region received the Cape Verdean delegation for an interview.
