Ministry of Economic Development has held the first ever roundtable discussions with a delegation from the European Union (EU) on business opportunities in Maldives.
In the roundtable discussions participated by Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail, EU Ambassador to Maldives Tung-Lai Margue and Minister of Planning Mohamed Aslam, a presentation on economic review and investment opportunities in Maldives was presented by Ministry of Economic Development.
Speaking at the event, Minister Fayyaz said the roundtable discussions would be a great arena to identify possible changes to policies in efforts to make Maldives a better environment for investments. He also applauded the role of EU nations to the development of Maldives.
The economic minister specifically noted the contribution of EU markets to Maldives tourism with 49-50% of tourists traveling to Maldives from Europe. The minister also expressed his interest in taking the relations with EU to new heights under the current administration. He also discussed the challenges Maldives face in exporting fish. He expected the discussions to shed light on approaches to solving the issue and improve fish export as the majority of fish exports involve EU nations.
The EU business roundtable was an event announced by High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Federica Mogherini during her official visit to Maldives last August. EU expects the roundtables to provide a platform to facilitate and improve trade and investment by EU companies in Maldives.