Brussels, 08/06/2011 (Agence Europe) - EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton announced on Tuesday evening 7 June that a “Task Force for the Southern Mediterranean” was to be set up. This group will bring together experts from the European External Action Service (EEAS), the European Commission, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and other international financial institutions. It will serve as a focal point for organising and coordinating European assistance to the countries of North Africa which are going through political transformation. The Task Force “will improve the coherence of our assistance to civil society, to democracy-building and to economic reconstruction through funds from the EU, the EIB and the EBRD”, Ashton says in a press release. (H.B./transl.rt)