A. M. 
Courtesy
With the objective of promoting European investments through the Global Gateway, the Head of Unit for Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and regional operations of the Directorate General for International Partnerships of the European Commission, Felice Zaccheo, visited the country with an agenda that promotes digital, green and inclusive transformation in El Salvador and the region.
The Global Gateway is a European initiative whose objective is to promote sustainable projects taking into account the needs of partner countries, linking the public and private sectors in order to generate investments that drive digital and green transformations by putting people and the planet at the center. To advance in the concrete implementation of the priorities identified with El Salvador, the Mission met with the highest authorities of the Government of El Salvador, with international and regional financial organizations and with key actors of Team Europe.
In the area of sustainable transportation, progress was made in the formation of alliances to support the sustainable urban mobility plan for the San Salvador Metropolitan Area, in particular the construction of the different lines of the aerocable.
In the digital area, the Mission had the opportunity to learn about the details of the degree of implementation of the 5G deployment project in the country. The evolution of various ongoing projects, co-financed by the European Union, to provide broadband digital connectivity to educational centers, as well as training in digital skills and cybersecurity to the beneficiary population, was analyzed. Felice Zaccheo, together with the Minister of Economy Maria Luisa Hayem and the Ambassadors of the EU and France, attended the graduation of 160 young people under the LAMARR Project, funded by the European Union and implemented by Expertise France, which aims to train young people in vulnerable situations in El Salvador in digital skills and hand in hand with the private sector.
Multi-country projects financed by the European Union and implemented in El Salvador were also discussed. Within the framework of the Great Forests of Mesoamerica Program, the Mission met with local actors and European institutions that make up the Team Europe Initiative promoting sustainable development in the Tri-national Trifinio Area. The prospects opened up for El Salvador by the proposal to relaunch the Central American Regional Electricity Market with EU support, presented at the 17th meeting of the Council of Energy Ministers of the Central American Integration System held in Tegucigalpa, which was also attended by Felice Zaccheo, were also discussed.
Good fiscal governance is a crucial condition for the success of these ambitious projects. Along these lines, a commitment was signed between the Ministry of Finance of El Salvador and the European Union to cooperate on fiscal transparency, helping to generate confidence and a climate conducive to investment.
