RedCLARA and BELLA II led a space on the agenda of the Global Gateway meeting in Helsinki, Finland, on 5-6 September, aimed at raising awareness of potential and new connectivity projects in Latin America and the Caribbean and the resources to be mobilized for their implementation.
Global Gateway is the European Union's (EU) strategy to support smart, clean, and secure investments in high-quality infrastructure in the digital, energy, and transport sectors and to strengthen health, education, and research systems around the world. One of the key commitments of the Global Gateway Investment Agenda is the BELLA II project, which aims to contribute to closing the digital divide in Latin America and the Caribbean and to consolidate the necessary infrastructure for the consolidation and expansion of a regional digital ecosystem of science, technology, education, and innovation.
The objective of the Global Gateway meeting was to present and discuss its investment master plan, to prioritize the most promising projects to advance Team Europe cooperation in the short term, to discuss the European funding offer and cooperation mechanisms among connectivity investors; to mobilize the resources of the European Commission and EU Member States around priorities and flagship projects; to promote investment opportunities in digital infrastructure and to receive feedback from the private sector.
The first day of activities was a working session by regional groups. In the Latin America and the Caribbean group, RedCLARA and BELLA II had a space to present ongoing and planned connectivity projects.
The meeting was a space to mobilize additional resources to leverage the enormous potential of BELLA II and the portfolio of connectivity projects, thereby increasing opportunities and boosting the development of the countries in the region.
In particular, the objectives, scope, strategies, and key concepts of the BELLA II project, the co-investment and financing strategy, and potential projects were presented. There was an opportunity for dialogue on the feedback and possible contribution of financial and economic stakeholders to the project, and to learn more about the implementation mechanism and articulated efforts.
