Brussels, 03/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 2 October, the EU and Honduras signed a multiannual indicative development cooperation programme for which €235 million has been allocated for the 2014-2020 period.
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez did not understate “the breadth of the task” facing his country's authorities. He underlined that the association agreement between the EU and Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama), in force since May (see EUROPE 11076), was “the first of the region to region [kind]”. The trade pillar of the association agreement, which has been in force for a year, will enable European companies to diversify their outlets, he said.
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso described Hernandez's visit to Brussels as “a new political cycle” for Honduras. Barroso stated that, with aid of €500 million over recent years, Honduras constituted “the second largest beneficiary” of European development aid in Latin America.
Following his meeting with Hernandez, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy spoke of the security problems in Honduras. “We know that organised crime and drug trafficking are threats coming first and foremost from outside the country. But to fight them effectively, Honduras should continue to grow stronger internally and improve accountability of all public institutions. A trusted police, army, justice, respectful of human rights, and a society that gives equal chances to the poor, are key elements of this approach”, he stated. (MB)