Brussels, 27/11/2006 (Agence Europe) - In Lagos on 23 November, Josep Borrell, addressing Nigerian MPs, expressed the EU's desire to “accompany the whole election process” leading up to the general elections on 21 April 2007, which will mark “the first democratic transition from one government to another in Nigeria's history”. Mr Borrell, the first President of the European Parliament to visit Nigeria stressed that the Commission was “investing in this election, paying for 10% of its costs” and hoped that EU electoral observers “will be invited soon” to Nigeria. He also underlined the central role that the parliaments of African countries could play in developing the good governance that was crucial for the prosperity of their citizens and also “to convince European citizens to increase their contributions to development aid”. “It is time that Europe started looking at the success stories in Africa and not just the disasters … (to) look at economic growth which in a majority of African states is higher than 5% a year,” said Mr Borrell. He also noted, “Nigeria has just drawn a line under its Paris Club debt: the sign of the end of an era”. To the elected representatives of this “Africa on the move”, Mr Borrell pointed out that, at the last two European Councils, he had said that, to face the issues around questions of illegal immigration, it was not enough “to build walls around Europe”: rather “we need to work together”, and this included actively backing the development and creation of employment in Africa. (mg)