Brussels, 04/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 4 June in Brussels, the EU and Southern and Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean co-signed a new regional funding (€1.3 billion) agreement for a regional cooperation programme in key sectors such as peace and security, economic integration and the management of natural resources between now and 2020.
European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica and representatives from five African regional organisations from 29 African countries signed the agreement during the European Development Days (EDD) event, which focused on the future post-2015 partnership for the eradication of poverty and sustainable development (see EUROPE 11327).
The priorities in this Regional Indicative Programme (RIP) were jointly defined by the EU and African partner organisations. It will be financed through the 11th European Development Fund (11th EDF), which finances cooperation between the EU and the 79 Countries from the ACP Group (Africa/Caribbean/Pacific) linked to the EU through the Cotonou Agreement for 2014-2020.
Commissioner Mimica commented: “The regional organisations are very important partners for the EU in our cooperation with Africa - the fact that our funding to South and East Africa and the Indian Ocean has more than doubled since the last financing period is clear proof of that”.
Cooperation will focus on: helping to prevent and manage conflict, and address security threats in a region of key strategic importance for Europe; promoting regional economic integration and trade facilitation, by integrating markets, promoting investment and improving production capacities, including the development of infrastructures; supporting sustainable natural resource management at regional level, improving resilience and biodiversity conservation.
The RIP was co-signed by Sindiso Ngwenya, secretary general of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); Richard Sezibera, secretary general of the East African Community (EAC); Mahboub Maalim, executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD); Jean Claude de l'Estrac, secretary general of the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and Stergomena Lawrence Tax, executive secretary of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). (Aminata Niang).