Brussels, 27/02/2013 (Agence Europe) - Following the formal resumption of European aid to Mali, it is now time for a coordinated reflection, in the EU and with the Malian authorities, to organise this aid in the best possible way in order to ensure that it responds more closely to the requirements of the country that is having to be rebuilt. This is the aim pursued by the coordination meeting of the Development Ministers of the EU, hosted on Tuesday 26 February by Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Development, and attended by Tiéman Hubert Coulibaly, Mali's Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, and his colleague Tiéna Coulibaly, Minister for the Economy, Finance and Budget.
In order to guarantee the efficacy of the development aid to be phased in, the member states and the European Commission are to carry out the joint programming of the aid. Plugging the investment gap in the education and healthcare sectors will be one of the priorities, in order to allow large-scale vaccination programmes to resume. The agricultural sector will also be supported, by providing farmers with seed and fertiliser. The resumption of maintenance and building activities for roads and other damaged infrastructure is expected to create employment (around 20,000 jobs) and will support economic activity.
“Responding to the development needs in Mali requires both a critical mass in funding and excellent coordination. Today, we have taken a significant step towards designing a common, coherent and comprehensive European response. This joint approach will be presented at an international donors' conference which France and the European Union will host in May. On top of assisting the country in restoring democracy and peace, we will focus primarily on social services, governance, decentralisation and supporting the economy”, Piebalgs commented.
As the resumption of aid is progressive and conditional upon concrete progress made by the Malian authorities in the implementation of the roadmap for transition, the project will be implemented gradually. Some programmes will focus on improving governance (technical assistance in the management of public finances, audits), reinforcing the legal system (training, refurbishment of buildings), and the dialogue on peace and human rights. Others will target access to drinking water and cleansing and infrastructure (road repairs, for example). (AN/transl.fl)