On Monday 18 November, the Council of the European Union approved conclusions on Land Locked Developing Countries (LLDCs), ahead of a third United Nations conference to be held from 10 to 13 December in Gaborone, Botswana.
“A lack of direct access to the open sea, especially when combined with geographical remoteness, presents a number of issues to global integration and trade”, stress the ministers in the adopted text.
In the light of the United Nations ‘Pact for the Future’ adopted last September (see EUROPE 13488/19), the EU Council reaffirms its commitment to supporting LLDCs in order to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
It encourages greater regional integration to overcome the geographical constraints of LLDCs and improve their access to international markets, through modern infrastructure, digital transformation and innovation.
In addition, the EU Council notes that the EU, as part of its Global Gateway strategy, is investing in digital, climate, energy, transport, health, education and research projects for the LLDCs, such as the Lobito Corridor project in Africa and the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor in Central Asia.
See the conclusions: https://aeur.eu/f/eds (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)