EU to establish fully-fledged diplomatic mission

The European Commission and the Government of Sri Lanka have agreed to upgrade the level of its representation in Sri Lanka in recognition of the importance of relations between the European Union and Sri Lanka and to ensure that close relations are well served and maintained.

The delegation is now a fully-fledged diplomatic mission with an accredited Head of Delegation of Ambassadorial rank based in Colombo. With the upgrading the staff of the European Commission Delegation will be doubled and from 2005 all operational decisions will be managed locally in Colombo by the expanded team, the Foreign Ministry said yesterday.

The relations between Sri Lanka and the European Union have been expanding in the recent years. The Commission is a major development partner of Sri Lanka with over euro 150 million in aid to tsunami relief and reconstruction, and over euro 70 million in conventional development expenditure.