The Maldives established diplomatic relations with the European Union (EU) in 1983 and the Maldives Mission to the EU was established on 1st April 2008. The EU Delegation accredited to Maldives is based in Colombo and the EU Ambassador who heads the Delegation office in Sri Lanka has full diplomatic status.

The EU has always been a close partner of the Maldives’ democratization journey and one of Maldives' largest economic and development assistance partners. The close cooperation between the two parties has been maintained over the years on an ad hoc basis, namely through Annual Policy Dialogues and more recently, through Senior Officials’ Meetings.

Since 1981, the EU has been providing development assistance to the Maldives with a special focus on climate change, the protection of the environment and good governance. Security cooperation, in particular the fight against terrorism and violent extremism, including maritime security, have also come to the forefront of the cooperation and dialogue between the Maldives and EU.

In 2021, the EU adopted a multiannual budget (2021-2027) dedicated to the special needs of Maldives, to assist the country in achieving sustainable and inclusive development. For the 2021-2024 period, the EU has dedicated EUR 12 million in grant funding for the priority areas: i) Green Recovery, ii) Good Governance, Rule of Law and Security.

Furthermore, the EU is one of the Maldives' largest trade partners. Maldives exported EUR 53 million worth of products in 2022 (primarily fisheries products) to the EU (2024 EU data) which represented more than 18,8% of its total exports. The EU is one of the Maldives' largest import partners as well, accounting for EUR 268 million worth of trade in 2022 (2024 EU data). According to latest tourism statistics, the European tourists consistently make up nearly 50% of all arrivals, with over 500,000 European nationals visiting the country each year.