On Monday 3 February, the European Commission announced that its two new Directorates-General - one responsible for enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood (ENEST) and the other for partnerships with the Middle East, North Africa and the Gulf States (MENA) - were now operational.
The ENEST Directorate-General will be responsible for negotiations on accession to the European Union, launching initiatives to promote the gradual regional integration of the candidate countries with each other and with EU countries. It will manage technical and financial assistance to the countries concerned, including Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus. It will also provide support for the reconstruction of Ukraine and host the donors’ platform for this candidate country in the grip of Russia’s military aggression.
Further information: https://aeur.eu/f/fbq
The MENA Directorate-General will support the work of the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean, Dubravka Šuica, a newly-created position within the EU institution. “This new department of the Commission will be entirely dedicated to the unique opportunities and challenges of the region, bringing together the different shores of our Mare Nostrum and beyond”, said the European Commissioner in a press release.
Further information: https://aeur.eu/f/fbp (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)