News
Commissioner Piebalgs' reaction to the Court of Auditor's report on water and sanitation in sub-Saharan Africa
28/09/2012
I welcome today's report by the Court of Auditors (COA) on Drinking-Water Supply and Basic Sanitation in six sub-Saharan Africa countries. I am very pleased to see that the Court recognised that the EU support "has made a valuable contribution to meeting important development objectives" and qualified the projects as "sustainable". The examined water projects have "increased access to drinking water and basic sanitation" to the people in need in Africa and were "installed as planned and in working order". The report is timely as the UN General Assembly meets this week to discuss progress on the Millennium Development Goals and water and sanitation is high on the agenda.
EU at the forefront of the fight against hunger
27/09/2012
"In recent years our commitment has been particularly strong, with the EU now the world's largest grant donor for food security, spending around 1 billion euro every year on food security, agriculture and nutrition."
La lutte contre le VIH/SIDA: une priorité pour l'Europe
27/09/2012
"L'épidémie de VIH/SIDA, qui a longtemps été une urgence immédiate, devient peu à peu un problème chronique nécessitant des réponses à long terme, durables et intégrées dans les systèmes de santé."
Post-Millennium Development Goals: Three pillars for "Decent Life for Everybody"
27/09/2012
During the first High Level Panel meeting on the post-Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agenda beyond 2015, Commissioner Andris Piebalgs stated: " It is true that the MDGs have been hugely successful; but the job is only half done.
Commissioner Piebalgs to announce concrete projects in Africa to provide access to clean energy
24/09/2012
Today, EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, will participate to the High Level event on Sustainable Energy for All at the UN General Assembly in New York. The Commissioner will unveil EU's projects in African countries to make access to clean energy a reality for people on the ground.
Commissioner Piebalgs highlights development at the UN General Assembly
24/09/2012
Commissioner for Development Piebalgs will highlight the leading role of the EU in development at the 67th session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA) which opened in New York on 18 September.
Déclaration du Commissaire Piebalgs à la suite de la rencontre avec le Ministre malien des Affaires Etrangères M. Tiéman Coulibaly
20/09/2012
A l'issue de cette rencontre, le Commissaire a déclaré: "Je suis très heureux d'avoir eu l'occasion de rencontrer le Ministre Malien des Affaires Etrangères, M. Tiéman Coulibaly dans le cadre de sa première visite officielle à Bruxelles depuis sa nomination.
Enhancing democracy and fighting poverty: European Commission commits to further support civil society in partner countries
18/09/2012
In a new Communication on "The roots of democracy and sustainable development: Europe's engagement with Civil Society in external relations", the European Commission announces it will engage further and will provide more support to civil society organisations (CSOs) in its partner countries.
Empowering female voters in Bangladesh – a story from the ground at the occasion of International Day of Democracy
15/09/2012
Tomorrow (15/09) the world will celebrate the UN's International Day of Democracy. Democratic values are deeply rooted in the EU countries and the recent events of Arab Spring showed that, without respect for freedom and human rights, development of a country is not possible.
Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud elected as the new President of Somalia
11/09/2012
Somali MPs have elected Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud as the country's new president during a meeting in the Somali capital Mogadishu. It’s the first time in years that a president has been elected on Somali soil, marking the end of the Transitional Federal Institutions.
2012 Paralympics – Inspiring people with disabilities worldwide
10/09/2012
Over the past few weeks, there have been some inspiring examples of success in disabled sport at the Paralympics in London. The athletes have represented their countries with courage and determination, and this has also helped to raise awareness of the difficulties that disabled people all over the world face.
Commissioner Piebalgs attending the Informal Council of Foreign affairs (Gymnich) in Cyprus
07/09/2012
EU Development Commissioner will attend on 7 and 8 September the informal meeting of EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Paphos, Cyprus. High Representative Catherine Ashton will chair the meeting. Such informal meetings, also known as 'Gymnich', give ministers each semester an opportunity to discuss current issues of importance freely and in depth. The crisis in Syria will be top of the agenda on Friday and two key horizontal issues will also be addressed – water issues and education in EU foreign policy.