During the first high-level policy dialogue with the Caribbean under the EU-LAC Digital Alliance, the European Union launched Digital Connectors Jamaica, a new initiative aimed at fostering digital collaboration between Jamaican and European companies.
The Digital Connectors Jamaica programme, launched under the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator, promotes digital joint ventures between Jamaican startups and the European private sector. Through a partnership with the Development Bank of Jamaica and Caribbean Export, Jamaican startups will have access to up to USD 50,000 in grant funding to develop and scale innovative digital solutions. These funds will complement the EU’s contribution of EUR 14 million, unlocking new opportunities for growth and international market access.
This initiative reflects how Global Gateway delivers real opportunities for people. "By connecting Jamaican startups with European and Latin American companies, we support innovation, but also create quality jobs and boost local entrepreneurship”, said Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Síkela. “Programmes like the Digital Accelerator turn digital cooperation into economic growth, for Jamaica, the wider Caribbean and Europe alike.”
The EU also reaffirmed its commitment to enhancing regional preparedness for extreme weather events. Ahead of the 2025 hurricane season, the EU is standing ready with satellite-based forecasting data and modelling as well as comprehensive support to early warning systems. This builds on existing cooperation with the Caribbean Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (CIMH) and the Caribbean Emergency Disaster Management Agency (CEDMA), as well as with the Dominican Republic and Cuba. Additionally, to short-term measures, support for long-term climate adaptation capabilities will be implemented. European meteorological institutes with a significant presence in the region, as well as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF), will be involved.
For example, ECMWF and CIMH have committed to a mutual exchange of experts and engagement with forecasting partners to enhance CIMH's capacity to utilise European data and products in support of numerical weather prediction modelling, specifically for tropical cyclone tracking. Those efforts contribute to the implementation of the MoU on Disaster Preparedness and Disaster Risk Management, signed in Barbados on 15 May 2024, between the European Union and the Latin America and the Caribbean region.
This announcement follows a recent call between Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados and Chair of CARICOM, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, during which they discussed opportunities for closer collaboration between the Caribbean and the EU, notably through the Copernicus Emergency Management Service.
The first high-level policy dialogue with the Caribbean under the EU-LAC Digital Alliance, co-chaired by the Government of Jamaica and the European Commission in collaboration with the Government of Trinidad and Tobago, took place in Kingston, Jamaica, from June 5 to 6, 2025. The event gathered policymakers from both regions to explore concrete areas for digital cooperation ahead of the 2025 CELAC-EU Summit.
Global Gateway
Global Gateway is the EU’s positive offer to reduce the global investment disparity and boost smart, clean, and secure connections in the digital, energy, and transport sectors, as well as to strengthen health, education, and research systems. The Global Gateway strategy embodies a Team Europe approach that brings together the European Union and its Member States, and European development finance institutions. Together, the aim is to mobilise up to EUR 300 billion in public and private investments from 2021 to 2027, creating essential links rather than dependencies, and closing the global investment gap.
About the EU-LAC Digital Accelerator
The EU-LAC Digital Accelerator connects corporates and startups across the EU, Latin America, and the Caribbean to co-create digital solutions to real business challenges. In its second year, the Accelerator has supported over 43 partnerships across the region. The new Digital Connectors programme marks a targeted effort to strengthen Jamaica’s role in this growing digital ecosystem.
Digital cooperation is a key pillar of the Global Gateway strategy. The EU-LAC Digital Alliance provides the framework for deepening this cooperation, bringing together investment and public policy to build inclusive and competitive digital economies.
About Copernicus, emergencies, and the regional Copernicus LAC Panama Centre
Copernicus is the Earth Observation component of the EU’s Space Programme. Copernicus data and value-added services in five areas – Land, Marine, Atmosphere, Climate Change, and Emergency Management (CEMS) are made available to all users free of charge and complete. In emergencies, such as hurricanes, the CEMS provides timely and accurate geospatial information to EU partners. It was activated when Hurricane Beryl struck in June-July 2024. In addition, the EU is establishing regional Copernicus centres in Panama and Chile in partnership with the host countries. The centres develop specific regional services and transfer skills and capacities. The Copernicus LAC Panama Centre focuses, in particular, on reducing risks related to natural disasters (DRR), including floods, droughts, and landslides.
Source: D4DHub
