ABOUT US
About the Ambassador
Mrs. Afheldt joined the European Commission in 1989. Since then she has been holding various positions in matters related to trade, cooperation and external relations in different institutions of the European Union. She worked with countries and regions such as Russia, Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. Mrs. Afheldt was the Deputy Head of Unit for the Caribbean (2006-2010) where she was lead negotiator of the development aspects of the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Cariforum. During this time, Mrs. Afheldt also launched the EU – Caribbean Joint Strategy.
Mrs. Afheldt joined the European External Action Service since its creation in 2010, holding the post of Political Advisor to the Managing Director for the Americas. She became later Head of Division for Career, Learning and Development. Under her leadership, the EEAS launched a new training strategy, including innovative management training tools and the introduction of online training. Before joining the Delegation in the Dominican Republic, she was s Head of Division for relations with Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, where she was also co-negotiator for the Caribbean protocol of the new post-Cotonou agreement.
Ambassador Afheldt is fluent in German (native), English, French and Spanish.
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Katja Afheldt – EU Ambassador to the Dominican Republic.
Message from the Ambassador
Welcome to the website of the Delegation of the European Union to the Dominican Republic!
Welcome to the Delegation of the European Union (EU) in the Dominican Republic. On this page you will find information on all the activities that our diplomatic mission carries out in the country, as well as extensive information about the current situation of the European Union in general and its actions in the world.
The European Union is one of the main political, commercial, investment and cooperation partners of the Dominican Republic. Installed in the country since 1989, the Delegation has worked in multiple sectors, advocating for the development of the country. Today, we are the third trading partner and the second partner of the Dominican Republic in terms of investment, representing by 2019 more than a quarter of the foreign direct investment in the country.
In the 30 years of relations with the Dominican Republic, we have supported the development of the country with more than 2 billion Euros (USD 2,319,500,000) with non-reimbursable funds in areas as diverse as education, health, state reform, relations with Haiti, the productive sectors and competitiveness, as well as support for human rights and civil society. And we will continue to stand by the reforms and the development of the Dominican Republic: in the coming years we plan to focus on helping the country on its path to a green recovery focusing for example on employment opportunities for women and the young or green cities. Discover the full list of new priorities here.
The EU and the DR share many values and their strong commitment to multilateralism. We are therefore also partners in working together to address regional issues and global challenges.
Two agreements are the fundamental base of our relations with the Dominican Republic: The Cotonou Agreement, soon to be replaced by the successor, the Post Cotonou agreement and its Caribbean Protocol as well as the Acuerdo de Asociación Económica (EPA), between the EU and the Cariforo, which frames our trade and economic relations for over 12 years. As a member of SICA we also work with the Dominican Republic in the context of our Political Dialogue and Cooperation agreement with Central America.
I hope that the information on our website are of interest to you! Please contact us if you need additional information.