Brussels, 07/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 7 October, the European Commission announced that it plans to invest €204 million in development cooperation with Nicaragua. European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs is currently carrying out his first official visit to the country (6-7 October) to discuss the priorities of the new bilateral cooperation programme 2014-2020 and the allocation of the funding.
Education, economic and trade cooperation, and adapting to climate change will be the priorities for this new cooperation strategy - a strategy that has been developed in close cooperation with the Nicaraguan government.
Last week, an agreement was signed between the EU, the World Bank and the Nicaraguan government for the implementation of PROSEN - the education sector support project in Nicaragua which is aimed at around 551,000 students. This new project will occupy an important place in the future cooperation, with the EU already contributing up to €32 million as part of the programming of funds for the 2007-2013 period.
During his visit, Piebalgs was due to meet Nicaragua's President Daniel Ortega and the authorities that will implement the new bilateral cooperation programming. He was also due to sign the draft financing agreement - Prevention and Control of Organised Crime and Drug Trafficking.
Projects that are co-financed by the EU are also on Piebalgs' itinerary - projects such as the Forensic Laboratory of the National Police, which was equipped by the EU under a project to improve access to criminal justice, and the project that is named the Colonial and Volcano Route, which supports SMEs and micro-enterprises. The provisional allocation of €204 million over seven years to strengthen EU-Nicaragua cooperation is subject to the approval of the EU's budgetary authority (the European Parliament and the Council). (AN/transl.fl)