The 25th Session of the Joint Commission between Sri Lanka and the European Union
will be convened on 09 May 2023 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Colombo.
The meeting will be co-chaired by Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sri
Lanka Aruni Wijewardane and Deputy Managing Director for Asia and the Pacific of
the European External Action Service of the EU Paola Pampaloni.
The Joint Commission will deliberate on a broad range of bilateral and multilateral
issues of mutual interest to both sides and discuss areas for future cooperation. The
outcome of the three Working Groups established under the Joint Commission
namely, the Working Group on Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights; the
Working Group on Trade and Economic Cooperation; and the Working Group on
Development Cooperation will also be discussed in detail during the meeting. The
European Union delegation will brief on the new cycle of the EU GSP Regulation to
be adopted for 2024 – 2033, which will be effective from 1 January 2024 for the next
10 years.
The Sri Lanka delegation will consist of representatives of the Ministries of Finance,
Economic Stabilization & National Policies, Justice, Prison Affairs & Constitutional
Reforms, Trade, Commerce & Food Security, Labour & Foreign Employment,
Education, Environment, Defence, Fisheries, Public Security, Urban Development &
Housing and the Attorney General’s Department as well as senior officials of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The previous session of the Joint Commission meeting was held in February 2022 in
Brussels.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Colombo
08 May 2023