Brussels, 28/02/2003 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has adopted its Country Strategy Paper (CSP) for Sri Lanka for 2003-2006 and its National Indicative Programme (NIP) for 2003-2005. EUR 16.8 million has been earmarked to finance co-operation strategy on the basis of priorities set out in the CSP 2003-2006 as follows: rural development, EUR 7.5 million; economic cooperation, EUR 5.3 million, EUR 2.0 million for fostering a trade and business environment in which EU/Sri Lanka economic relations can grow and to help Sri Lanka maximise the benefits it draws from existing WTO agreements and those being negotiated; EUR 3.5 million to assist Sri Lanka to re-establish its domestic airline network; EUR 4 million in support for post-conflict projects (announced earlier at a donor conference in Oslo in November 2002, as part of a supplementary 2003 package of EUR 17.5 million targeted at support for the Sri Lankan peace process, an announcement on further support to the peace process will be made at the Tokyo pledging conference in June 2003).
The priorities set out in the Country Strategy Paper for Sri Lanka were established by the European Commission in cooperation with the government of Sri Lanka.