Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet and a global advocate for the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Costa Rica is the main trading partner of the EU in Central America, accounting for one third of the total trade flows in the region.
Our partnership
The EU partners with Costa Rica towards sustainable and inclusive development, in line with the National Decarbonisation Plan, the Global Gateway Strategy and the New Agenda for relations between the EU and Latin America and the Caribbean. Our action builds on Costa Rica’s firm commitment to a fair green and digital transition.
At the EU-CELAC Summit in July 2023, the EU and Costa Rica presented the Global Gateway Investment Agenda seeking to leverage quality investments in Costa Rica’s strategic projects in transport, digital, climate and energy, health, education and research. The Investment Agenda represents a political commitment by Costa Rica, Team Europe and partners to work together on addressing Costa Rica’s infrastructure needs while creating local added value and contributing to achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
The EU adopted a Multiannual Indicative Programme for the period 2021-2027 under the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI-Global Europe). Under this framework, the EU allocated €14 million in grant funding to the partnership with Costa Rica in support of decarbonisation, digitalisation and innovation, and migration.
Costa Rica participates in other key regional initiatives in a broad range of areas, including security and justice, social cohesion, and initiatives promoting the regional integration process in Central America.
Our flagship initiatives
Team Europe in Costa Rica focuses its action on several key sectors:
- E-mobility – to help Costa Rica transform the transport sector which is the main source of emissions and therefore a key lever for decarbonisation. This initiative seeks to help Costa Rica:
- Electrify approximately 1000 buses in the greater metropolitan area in the next 5 years, focusing on the whole ecosystem from electric buses to charging infrastructure, maintenance and training, creating opportunities for service providers, together with regulatory and municipal capacity building
- Support the development of several electric train projects such as the Electric Passenger Train of the Greater Metropolitan Area and the Limón Electric Freight Train (TELCA)
- Digital transformation – to support the rollout of secure, resilient and inclusive digital connectivity under Costa Rica's National Telecommunications Plan 2022-2027. Costa Rica has endorsed the EU-LAC Digital Alliance, an informal, values-based framework bringing together the EU, its Member States and the EU private sector in promoting cooperation on a wide range of digital issues. In May 2023, the EU-US Trade and Technology Council issued a joint statement committing to providing technical assistance on telecommunications security and helping finance Costa Rica's 5G roll-out, securing its networks and critical infrastructure, including through enhanced cyber competences.
- Health – to partner with Costa Rica in line with Costa Rica’s Life Sciences Hub Initiative and the EU-LAC health partnership to support the development, testing and production of medicines and medical devices, as well as the enabling environment with adequate legal frameworks, promoting human talent and digital tools to improve services and interoperability.
- Sustainable finance – to improve access to finance and develop the green bond market, thus mobilising capital for financing and sustainable transition. The Global Green Bond Initiative, announced by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in June 2023, will facilitate the flow of private capital from institutional investors into climate and environmental projects in EU partner countries, providing technical assistance to green bond issuers and crowding in private investors through a dedicated de-risked fund.
- Sustainable agriculture and fishing – to accelerate and scale up the path towards organic certification and production, low carbon value chains and a more circular approach to agriculture and fisheries to increase EU-Costa Rica trade flows, and supporting the implementation of the EU-Central America Association Agreement. Costa Rica and France will co-host the UN Ocean Conference in 2025.