Jamaica Hails EU’S Partnership in COVID-19 Fight

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Hon. Kamina Johnson Smith, is lauding the 45 years of partnership between Jamaica and the Europe Union (EU) and the Union’s solidarity with the country in the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Minister, in a message to mark Europe Day on May 9, noted that this year’s observance, which is taking place during the global pandemic, focuses on the importance of unity among nations in combatting the virus.

“Its hashtag, #europeansagainstcovid19, highlights the need for collaboration among countries and citizens across the world in this fight,” she said.

She noted that the EU’s recent donation of 29 ventilators to Jamaica’s health system “demonstrates the Union’s enduring commitment to the partnership and solidarity with Jamaica at this challenging time”.

The EU will be making a second donation of medical supplies and equipment to the country.

“The Government and people of Jamaica are extremely grateful for this gesture. We wish all EU citizens a truly rewarding Europe Day as we work together to overcome this crisis,” she said.

Head of the EU Delegation in Jamaica, Ambassador Malgorzata Wasilewska, in her Europe Day statement, said the experience of COVID-19 “highlights how interconnected the world is and the importance of working together to solve problems that challenge people around the world”.

“The most urgent challenge is for the people of the world at large to work together to combat this devastating disease and to ensure that people everywhere, regardless of geographical location or economic status, have a fighting chance to survive and thrive beyond,” she noted.

Europe Day is an annual celebration of peace and unity throughout Europe and the collaboration between the 27 member States and partner countries like Jamaica. 

The date marks the anniversary of the historical ‘Schuman declaration,’ when then French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman, in a speech delivered in Paris in 1950, set out his idea for a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between the  nations unthinkable.

 Since the Jamaica-EU partnership began in 1975, the EU has provided more than one billion euros, mainly in the form of grants, to the Government and people of Jamaica.