Brussels, 16/06/2015 (Agence Europe) - The big subjects for debate at the EU-Sahel ministerial meeting in Brussels on Wednesday 17 June will be security, development cooperation and humanitarian aid. These are the three sections of the EU's holistic strategy for development and security in the Sahel - a strategy that was implemented in 2011 and revised in 2014 in order to strengthen its scope against the backdrop of growing insecurity.
The objective of Wednesday's meeting is to step up the EU's bilateral relations with this sub-Saharan region at a time when the region is facing multiple challenges linked to poverty. The meeting will bring together High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides and the foreign ministers from five countries in the region (Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso).
The meeting will be the opportunity for the EU's new 2015-2020 action plan for the Sahel to be presented. This focuses on preventing and fighting against radicalisation, improving the lives of young people, migration, mobility and border management, and the fight against illegal trafficking and organised crime (see EUROPE 11298). (Aminata Niang)