Brussels, 03/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 2 April, Dacian Ciolos, the European Commissioner for Agriculture, welcomed Senegal's intention of focusing on agriculture, particularly family farming, to develop the economy of the country. Ciolos met Macky Sall, the President of Senegal, in Brussels on the sidelines of the summit between the European Union and the African Union.
Agriculture in Senegal represents 70% of jobs, but just 7.1% of GDP. Ciolos stressed that this sector represents a considerable reservoir of economic growth and development. In this context, Ciolos renewed the commitment of the European Union to supporting the Senegal Emergent Plan (known by its French acronym, PSE) set in place by the Senegalese authorities. At a budgetary level, this support will be reflected in the mobilisation of €347 million for Senegal through the 11th European Development Fund (EDF). More than half of this money will be channelled into agriculture. In addition to the budgetary support, the Commissioner stressed that the European Union is willing to share its expertise in the field of agriculture, in order to support sustainable family farming and encourage responsible investments.
Ciolos and the Senegalese President also discussed the economic partnership agreement (EPA) with West Africa. The commissioner welcomed the considerable progress which has been made in these negotiations and reiterated the commitment he took to end export refunds in the framework of this agreement. This commitment corresponds to the willingness of the European Union to support the development of African agriculture and to bring the development, commercial and agricultural policies into line with each other, Ciolos explained. (LC)