SOCIETY 378

SOCIETY
El Salvador is also offering technological services, a lot of young,
smart people working in electronics, technology and communications
are developing apps and platforms, establishing a new business.
innovative projects in El Salvador
addressed to energize and develop
the economy. We also share ways of
thinking about global challenges, for
example climate change, sustainable
development, promotion and protection
of human rights, the fight against
corruption, transnational organized
crime, disarmament and the non-proliferation
of weapons. A major difference
between Austria and El Salvador
is the field of security, as we are still
facing some challenges in building a
more secure society which ensures
the protection of its people. However,
with the so-called Territorial Control
Plan that president Nayib Bukele has
been putting into operation since
he took office last year in June, we
have heavily reduced homicides and
overall criminal gang-activities. The
results have been very positive and
we are indeed now seen as a model
country for realizing policies against
criminal activities. This is something
we are very delighted about and we
are certain that we can continue on
this path. Another difference between
our countries is that Austria is very
well experienced in the management
of green energy, as well as recycling
and reusing materials. El Salvador still
needs to put effort into implementing
knowledge and technology, and we
know that we need to find ways to be
more environmentally-friendly. Green
energy and recycling are collective
tasks, everybody should be on board,
starting by separating waste. This is an
issue we need to work on and we hope
that we can do it jointly, learning from
Austrian know-how, experience and
technology.
Tourism is one of the fastest growing
sectors in El Salvador – what are the
other essential economic pillars of
the country and how are they dealing
with the current Covid-19 crisis?
President Nayib Bukele‘s government
is seeking to establish a stable ground
for growth on justice, solidarity, investment
and economic reactivation to generate
opportunities as well as efficiency
and competitiveness. In this regard,
the challenge is to convert El Salvador
in a prosperous, modern country. Thus,
due to the fact that tourism is indeed
an important sector, there is a tourismrelated
project. The project is called
Surf-City aimed at connecting seven
departments of the country via the
beach. This way, we do not only create
a touristic area, but also accelerate
the market and economy by building
more infrastructure. This gives us the
opportunity to show our beaches (one
of the top ten in the world), as well as
our culture, gastronomy and people.
The project was initially one of the
priorities of president Nayib Bukele
and now we are preparing ourselves to
carry it forward.
Furthermore, another project launched
by president Nayib Bukele is the Pacific
Project, concerning the modernization
of the mobilisation sector. On this
account, a new airport in the eastern
region of the country is planned, aiming
to facilitate mobility inside the country.
Moreover, a train across the country
and a ferry between Costa Rica and El
Salvador are part of the project. Soon,
investors will be able to competitively
apply as partners of the Pacific Project.
El Salvador is famous for good handwork,
infrastructure and competitive
prices, tax incentives as well as a strategic
location to do business. Another
asset of El Salvador is the US-Dollar as
currency, which gives some stability to
entrepreneurs and companies. People
in El Salvador are very responsible,
friendly, workable and committed. This
is another main asset that is recognized
by investors and entrepreneurs.
Coming back on what we can offer,
there are also some very new developments
on the market. El Salvador is
also offering technological services,
a lot of young, smart people working
in electronics, technology and communications
are developing apps and
platforms, establishing a new business.
These new entrepreneurs are providing
their services not only in El Salvador,
but also abroad. During the pandemic,
all these services and the infrastructure
have been further improved, because
digitalization was demanded.
You have been Head of Mission to
the European Union. How would you
describe the relations between El
Salvador and the EU?
The relations are excellent, and the
European Union is one of our most important
partners in cooperation. This
is not only in a regional way, but also
bilaterally. We have a representative
of the European Union in El Salvador
and from there, we have been working
together in different areas. We have
close ties and are linked not only in
common aspects like cooperation
and political relations, but are also
culturally well connected. There is an
important coordination and communication
between the European Union
and El Salvador, therefore we value
very much our relation with the European
Union. For example, last June
we faced two tropical rainstorms,
Amanda and Cristobal, which brought
huge damages during the time of the
pandemic. The European Union was
very supportive in the whole situation.
We have also been benefitted with
the educational program Erasmus+,
which has given the opportunity to
Salvadoran students to continue their
education in Europe and we are now
working to have also some of them
here in Austria.
EL SALVADOR
067