Overview
A twin-island state located off the Venezuelan coast, Trinidad and Tobago is a high-income country with an economy driven by natural gas and petrochemical exports and well-developed industrial and financial sectors. It has a population of around 1.5 million inhabitants. Trinidad and Tobago is one of the most developed nations in the Caribbean, and has the second highest per capita income in the region (25 210 dollars, second after Aruba).
Our partnership
The EU supports Trinidad & Tobago towards sustainable and inclusive development, in line with the Global Gateway Strategy. For the Caribbean, the Samoa Agreement sets out the objectives of the Caribbean-EU partnership. The region has specific needs, given the intrinsic vulnerability of its small economies to external shocks. The EU’s objectives include improving environmental sustainability and climate resilience; transitioning to a sustainable and diversified economy that supports decent jobs and growth and promotes trade and investment; enhancing good governance, and building inclusive and secure societies where institutions are accountable, and no one is left behind.
Given the specific nature of the EU’s relationship with the Caribbean sub-region, the EU has launched the following three Caribbean-EU partnerships:
- The Caribbean-EU Partnership on the Green Deal
- The Caribbean-EU Partnership on economic resilience and trade
- The Caribbean-EU Partnership on governance, security and human development
The EU allocated €208 million for the Caribbean specific window.
EU-Trinidad & Tobago partnership documents can be found in the 'Related documents' section below.
Our key initiatives
- Renewable energy
The EU is helping Trinidad & Tobago enhance their green power generation, including solar, wind, and green hydrogen. Specific projects include:
- Delivering policies and frameworks that are conducive to the green transition.
- Installing 18 solar energy systems in public utilities, remote communities, and the international airport.
- Assessing the potential of areas ideal for wind energy and helping unlock investments.
- Investing in and helping design competitive renewable energy projects.
- Introducing green hydrogen technology with a new clean hydrogen facility.
- Digital
The EU is working on a multinational basis with Trinidad & Tobago to expand the digitalisation of the public sector and access to public services. It is also working on other aspects of the digital transition like cybersecurity and Earth observation. Specific projects include:
- Supporting the long-term expansion of a tier 4 data centre.
- Developing a unique national e-identifier to improve the delivery of public services.
- Supporting national data protection policies, cybersecurity, and good data governance.
- Facilitating access and use of the EU’s Copernicus and Galileo satellite services for disaster management, environmental impact, and more.
- Developing secure and accessible open-source solutions for government services.
