The EU and Somalia are strengthening their strategic partnership, the EU Council confirms in conclusions adopted without debate by the European foreign affairs ministers in Luxembourg on Monday 26 June.
The Council welcomed the progress made by Somalia since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office in May 2022 and the efforts made by the federal government to build a stable and peaceful country and guarantee the security transition as well as an ambitious reform programme, in line with the mandates of the United Nations Security Council (see EUROPE 13185/17).
The EU also welcomes the Somali government’s commitment “to the United Nations Charter and the rules-based international order”, the Council stresses.
As a result of the reinforced political dialogue, a joint operational roadmap was adopted at the beginning of May 2023 to set out the priorities for cooperation between the EU and Somalia over the next 24 months, namely support for state-building and the democratisation of Somalia (see EUROPE 13173/21). The Council reiterates this and the EU expresses its appreciation for this commitment, which aims to strengthen the effectiveness of cooperation through a long-term partnership.
Over and above the progress that continues to be made on the political, security and socio-economic fronts, the EU stresses the importance for Somalia of continuing to make progress on good governance, the rule of law, the fight against corruption and impunity, and the promotion and protection of human rights.
The Council assures the EU will continue to mobilise the full range of instruments at its disposal to support Somalia, including the NDICI-Global Europe financial instrument in the 2021-2027 budget, the Global Gateway investment strategy, humanitarian aid, the European Peace Facility (EPF) and Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions and operations.
View the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/7q6 (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)