Brussels, 20/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - At the end of the first EU-Central Asia ministerial meeting on Wednesday 20 November, European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs announced that the EU plans to allocate €1 billion over seven years (2014-2020) to support the development efforts of the countries of Central Asia. Governance and inclusive sustainable growth for human development will be the two development cooperation pillars with this region. The sustainable management of natural resources, socio-economic development and regional security will be the top priorities for the regional programmes.
“€1 billion is a lot - but the region has many challenges to address. This shows a strong commitment from the EU, our availability to help the region fight against poverty and unemployment, to fight against drug trafficking and to address the challenges regarding democracy and security”, Piebalgs said during a press conference.
This funding - from the EU budget - includes both the regional aid and bilateral aid planned for Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan under the cooperation instrument. Kazakhstan will be eligible for the resources allocated to the regional and thematic programmes but will not benefit from bilateral aid - in line with the programme for change which defines the framework of the EU's development policy after 2013 and provides for the funds to focus on the countries and regions that most need aid.
At the end of the ministerial meeting (the first since 2009), Piebalgs was due to hold bilateral meetings with the representatives of each of these countries in order to fine tune the priority areas of intervention for this development cooperation - priority areas that are defined in close consultation with the national authorities. (AN/transl.fl)