On the side-lines of the security conference in Munich, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and Afghanistan's Minister of Finance Eklil Ahmad Hakimi will sign a cooperation agreement on partnership and development on Saturday 18 February.
This agreement will form a new framework for the EU-Afghanistan relationship. It formalises the EU's commitment to Afghanistan's development under the "decade of transformation" (2014-2024), building on the commitments made at the Brussels conference on Afghanistan on 4-5 October 2016 (see EUROPE 11639). In addition to a regular political dialogue, the agreement provides for the development of a "mutually beneficial" relationship in many economic and political areas, such as the rule of law, rural development, the fight against corruption and the funding of terrorism, migration and common work on international issues.
The agreements is "mixed" – in other words, it must be signed by the EU and the member states, and ratified by all the national and regional parliaments concerned. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)