The European Union is expanding its engagement with Suriname with an additional injection of five million euros from the Global Gateway initiative. An exploratory meeting was held at the Ministry of Finance & Planning on Tuesday between Minister Adelien Wijnerman and EU Ambassador René van Nes, in which they discussed the strategic broadening of their partnership.
Central was the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI) and especially the Multi-Annual Indicative Program (MIP) 2021-2027, which spearheads the Suriname Forest Partnership. Thirteen million euros was originally earmarked for this, but following a mid-term review in 2024, this amount was increased to eighteen million euros. With this, the EU wants to strengthen sustainable forest management, biodiversity protection and the development of green infrastructure in Suriname.
In addition, over €13 million is now underway through the EU Caribbean Investment Facility (CIF) for programmatic support to water management, sustainable energy supply, agricultural innovation and climate adaptation measures. Key projects include the PURP program on the Waterfront, a joint energy initiative with the Inter-American Development Bank and a drinking water supply project facilitated by the Agence Française de Développement.
Ambassador Van Nes emphasized during the interview the joint ambition to strengthen both policy and implementation capacity in Suriname, with particular attention to transparent governance, responsible financial management and a "green" transformation of the economy. Minister Wijnerman thanked the EU for its continued support and confirmed that Suriname remains actively committed to building and further sharpening these partnerships in a targeted manner.
