31/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - EU resumes aid to Zimbabwe. On Friday 31 October, the European Union announced that it was going to resume its development aid paid to the government of Zimbabwe, as part of a process of normalisation of their bilateral relations begun in 2013 -with most of the sanctions being lifted that had been in place since 2002. “For the first time since 2002, the EU will be able to commit to a plurilateral aid programme” of €234 million to support the health and agriculture sectors, as well as governance and help for Zimbabwe's institutions, the EU stated in a press release. “The EU remains committed to improving its relations with Zimbabwe again, but it expects Zimbabwe to continue its efforts to strengthen democracy, the rule of law and human rights”, it said (our translation). The modalities for implementing the programme, which covers the period from 2014-2020, will be discussed with Harare. In early 2013, the EU suspended most of the sanctions that had been imposed on Zimbabwe since 2002.