Brussels, 07/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - Aid to development and reconstruction in Mali will be on the agenda of the EU development ministers' meeting in Dublin (at Dublin Castle) during the evening of Monday 11 February and Tuesday 12 February. It was convened by Eamon Gilmore, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Ireland. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) after 2015 and a comprehensive approach to aid for the Horn of Africa will also be discussed by the ministers and the European Commission represented by Andris Piebalgs, Development Commissioner.
France is planning to begin withdrawing its troops from Mali from March in the hope of being able to pass on the baton, as soon as possible, to a United Nations peacekeeping force once AFISMA (the African-led international mission for support in Mali) has been transformed into peacekeepers. It is therefore now appropriate to coordinate the gradual reactivation at European level of development cooperation in Mali, subject to progress made in implementing the roadmap for transition, as adopted by the Malian authorities and recently welcomed by the group for the support and follow-up to the situation in Mali, during its third ministerial meeting in Brussels (see EUROPE10779).
The informal session of the Foreign Affairs Council, meeting in development formation, will be held the day after the European Council on 7 and 8 February, at which French President François Hollande plans to raise the most funding possible to cover the costs of AFISMA and, especially, the cost of rebuilding Mali, as he had stated on 5 February at the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The discussion held by the EU heads of state and/or government will have allowed stock to be taken of the latest developments, on Friday morning, and guidance to be given for the direction to be followed.
In addition to the €50 million pledged for funding AFISMA non-military spending via the African Peace Facility, an envelope of €250 million is available for Mali under the 10th European Development Fund (EDF).
On Monday evening, the informal council meeting will begin with a working dinner on the EU's vision of post-2015 development. (AN/transl.jl)