A former Progressive Labour Party minister will represent Bermuda in the heart of the European Union, it was announced yesterday.

Renée Webb’s new post was revealed as David Burt, the Premier, opened the Government’s new office in the Belgian capital of Brussels.

Mr Burt said: “She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in European affairs and I am confident she will accomplish the goal of deepening ties.

“Additionally, through our internship programme, a Bermudian young person will have an opportunity to shadow Ms Webb here in Brussels, thus gaining invaluable experience on the world stage.”

Mr Burt added that the new office had been set up because constant engagement with the EU was needed instead of “shuttle diplomacy”.

Ms Webb, a former tourism minister, graduated from Queen’s University in Canada with a BA in political studies and went on to Paris for a master’s degree in international relations.

She studied international human rights law at the Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, and was picked for an internship at the Unesco human rights department in Paris.

Belgium has three official languages, French, Dutch and German, but French is the most-spoken in Brussels.

Mr Burt said Ms Webb had been hired for a year and her duties would include managing the Belgian office, advising the Bermuda Government on all relevant European matters and liaising with the island’s London office.

She will also represent the Government in meetings, conferences and on other occasions when necessary.

The Premier welcomed guests to the official opening of the office yesterday and said the Government’s presence would deepen its relationships with EU institutions, member states and European businesses.

He added: “Bermuda has a long history of constructive engagement with the European Union, which is crystallised by the fact that we are one of but a handful of jurisdictions that have EU Solvency II equivalence.

“The past year has witnessed constructive engagement on the issue of economic substance, which culminated in Bermuda passing into law the Economic Substance Act 2018. This important piece of legislation addressed economic substance concerns raised by the European Union’s Code of Conduct Group.

“We are confident that this legislation meets the criteria necessary to keep Bermuda off any list of noncooperative tax jurisdictions and reaffirms the positive relationship between Bermuda and the EU.”

Mr Burt said: “As we continue our efforts to protect and strengthen Bermuda’s economy and drive economic growth, I am sure our presence here will do just that.

“We are looking forward to the added value our Brussels office will provide.”