Brussels, 27/09/2002 (Agence Europe) - Poul Nielson, Commissioner of Development Policy and Humanitarian Aid, will be carrying out his first official visit to the region on 1-14 October. He will visit five of the fourteen ACP Group member countries (Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Federal States of Micronesia, as well as Australia on 7 October and New Zealand on 8-9 October. During the visit, Poul Nielson and the Secretary General for the Pacific Forum, Noel Levi, will sign the Regional Indicative Programme, which structures the co-operation between the Union and the Pacific Region and is worth EUR 29 million in aid for the 2002-2007 period.
Meetings with ACP group countries' representatives and Mr Nielson (Prime Ministers, Ministers, regional group and civil society representatives and academics) will focus on the political and economic situation in the small island countries of the region and especially on their integration process at a regional level as well as in the global economy. Co-operation and development will also be tackled in the framework of the Cotonou Agreement and multilateral plan.
In Australia and New Zealand, Poul Nielson will be meeting Development Ministers from the two countries to discuss aid to developing countries.
Since 1975, Union co-operation with the Pacific region has involved a total of EUR 1.3 billion - around EUR 100 million every year. An additional amount of EUR 350 million is being programmed for ACP countries in the region under the 9th European Development fund.