Page 13 - World Trade Center - Delaware

RARE FULL EU VISIT HIGHLIGHTS DELAWARE OPPORTUNITY
BY JACOB OWENS & KATIE TABELING
In a rare show of unity in the United States, ambassadors from all of the European Union countries fanned out across Delaware in October 2021 to promote trade, scientific investment, climate change, human rights, and more.
Led by EU Ambassador Stavros Lambrinidis, a delegation of 27 European ambassadors arrived to promote a renewal of transatlantic cooperation and leadership in the backyard of President Joe Biden.
The full EU visit to a state is a rare occurrence – the last occurred in Maryland in December 2019 – but is an effort under Lambrinidis, officials said.
The ambassador said the visit to Delaware aimed to promote the values that bind America and Europe.
In eight stops from Wilmington to Lewes, the delegation spotlighted that relationship while networking for future trade opportunities.
The EU invests about $6 billion in
Delaware industry, creating more than 6,000 jobs, while the First State exports $1.3 billion a year to the European
bloc. The top sector of shared interest in life sciences, where companies like German-based Siemens Healthineers and Franhofer employ hundreds here.
At a visit to the Port of Wilmington, Lambrinidis, joined by ambassadors from Germany, Spain, Belgium and Estonia, called for a thawing of trade relations between America and Europe and a continuation of global supply chains.
Regarding supply chains, four ambassadors spoke at a University of Delaware panel meeting along with top biopharmaceutical leaders about their importance in the fight against COVID-19. The ambassadors were confident that vaccines, a product of international trade, were the best path to ending the global pandemic.
Meanwhile in Dover, the state capital, Delaware State University and the U.S. Agency for International Development
European Union Ambassador to the U.S. Stavros Lambrinidis addresses a crowd at a tour stop at the University of Delaware. | PHOTO BY JACOB OWENS
(USAID) entered into a four-year agreement that grants students and researchers the opportunity to solve the world’s problems through innovation.
Through harnessing the knowledge and the connections of historically Black colleges and universities, USAID aims to diversify its ranks of 10,000 employees around the globe. In exchange, DSU students and staff will be exposed to programs focused on humanitarian efforts, like supporting agriculture-led economic growth in developing countries, climate change adaptation and strengthening water security.
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