Brussels, 17/04/2009 (Agence Europe) - Ahead of a donor conference for Pakistan, the European Commission has adopted a new three-year programme to combat terrorism and the trafficking and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. This indicative 2009-2011 programme funded by the stability instrument includes the first counter-terror measures drawn up by the Commission and EU member states' experts with worldwide scope. The main priorities are Pakistan, Afghanistan and the Sahel region of Africa, explains the Commission in a press release published on Friday 17 April 2009.
The programme includes a large section on tackling piracy in major shipping routes like the Gulf of Aden, involving development of coastal countries' ability to patrol their own waters and exchange information. The connection between terrorism and organised crime is addressed in areas like drug trafficking between Latin America and West Africa, the trafficking of small arms and light weapons and illegal trade in chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear materials.
With an indicative budget of €225 million, the three-year programme aims to combat the wide range of threats highlighted in the European security strategy and complement other action funded by the EU and the member states. (O.J./transl.fl)