News
Joint Statement by the European Union (EU) - Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA)
31/10/2013
The European Union welcomes the adoption by the Summit of Heads of State of ECOWAS on October 25 of the Common External Tariff which makes more concrete the customs union in the region. This decision marks a major step forward in the process of West African regional integration and progress towards the conclusion of an Economic Partnership Agreement between the two parties.
EU confirms its support for West Africa's development and integration
29/10/2013
EU Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs will today announce new financial support for West Africa, during a round of discussions with Ministers and other authorities from the region on the priorities to be funded during the next seven years (2014-2020).
Commissioner Piebalgs highlights the role of Civil Society Organisations at an EU-Africa Partnership Forum
25/10/2013
Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs has today participated in the closing session of the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Forum of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy in Brussels. The event has mobilised NGOs from both continents to discuss issues such as migration, food security, poverty and peace and security.
Statement on the 2013 Aid Transparency Index
24/10/2013
Today the independent watchdog organisation Publish What You Fund published a report on Aid Transparency where several departments of the European Commission are examined. The report concludes that the European Commission is managing taxpayers' money in foreign policy in a transparent manner.
New support to Nigerian women's engagement in peace and security
22/10/2013
The EU will support for Nigerian women with a €10 million project that will help to emphasize their importance for development and stability. Activities will include forums for dialogue, radio programmes on the role of women in peace building, early warning systems and rapid response mechanisms for conflict resolution as well as conflict prevention trainings for women.
Commissioner Piebalgs debates with Latvians about EU's future
18/10/2013
Today, the Commissioner Piebalgs participated in 35th Citizen's Dialogue which took place in his home country - Latvia. The Citizen's Dialogue is a series of discussions in which European Commissioners are participating all over the EU in order to ask directly European citizens for their views on the future and challenges of Europe.
Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean engage in the fight against climate change
17/10/2013
The EU hosted an informal round table meeting on climate change with Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) on 16-17 October in Brussels. Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs underlined at the event that climate change, as a priority in our current cooperation, will be further strengthened in the future, with more assistance to our partners in the region.
International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
17/10/2013
Today, International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, my thoughts are with the 1.2 billion people still living in extreme poverty. Overcoming poverty is a key objective of EU development policy and remarkable progress has been achieved. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of reducing extreme poverty by half has already been achieved, ahead of the 2015 deadline.
World Food Day 2013
16/10/2013
On World Food Day 2013 (16 October), hear EU Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs supporting the No Hunger Orchestra campaign from an international NGO (Acción Contra el Hambre).
World Food Day 2013 – Calling for quality, not just quantity
15/10/2013
2013 World Food Day: EU Commissioners for Development, Andris Piebalgs, and for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, Kristalina Georgieva on making sure that not only everyone has enough food to eat but also that it's the right food.
2013 Ibrahim Index of African Governance
15/10/2013
Yesterday the Mo Ibrahim Foundation has published the 2013 Ibrahim Index of African Governance. I welcome this latest edition which is an excellent source of information for our own work.
Commemorating the International Day of the Girl Child
11/10/2013
On the International Day of the Girl Child, Commissioner Piebalgs said: "We have said time and again that women and girls are at the heart of everything we do. As such, we make sure that EU development aid programmes systematically take them into account.
Commissioner Piebalgs congratulates Malala Yousafzai on the 2013 Sakharov Prize
10/10/2013
"The 2013 Sakharov Prize awarded today to Malala Yousafzai by the European Parliament is great news and I am very happy for it. Her commitment to campaigning for the education of all children and especially the education of girls echoes our own long term commitment to supporting the education of girls in partner countries worldwide.
Commissioner Piebalgs to take part in the World Bank-International Monetary Fund Annual Meeting
10/10/2013
Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, will this week take part (10-12 October) in the World Bank-International Monetary Fund Annual meetings in Washington DC. During his visit, the Commissioner will address the Development Committee (a ministerial-level Steering Committee of the World Bank Group). He will speak about questions related to the development agenda post-2015 (once the Millennium Development Goals reach their target date), seeking ways to bring together goals and targets on poverty reduction, and sustainable development in one universal framework.
EU will continue to support El Salvador’s contribution to eradicating poverty
08/10/2013
EU development assistance to El Salvador has so far had many benefits for its people, for instance, by providing access to basic pension for the elderly or access to water and sanitation. Building on these results, EU Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, will confirm, during an official visit to the country, EU's commitment to help the country develop by providing new funding between 2014-2020.
European Union-UNESCO: working together for change
08/10/2013
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the European Union have today announced they will strengthen their cooperation and scale up their joint operations on areas of mutual interest. The decision comes one year after the signing of a partnership agreement (technically a Memorandum of Understanding, or MoU) between the two organizations.
EU committed to support the sustainable development of Nicaragua
07/10/2013
The European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, is on a visit Nicaragua (6 - 7 October) in the context of the debate on the new EU-Nicaragua cooperation for the period 2014-2020. The EU's cooperation strategy for the coming years, drawn up in collaboration with the Nicaraguan government, will focus on education, economic and trade development and adaptation to climate change.
EU to discuss future development cooperation with Guatemala
04/10/2013
During his first ever visit to Guatemala this week, EU Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs, will discuss priorities for future EU assistance with the Guatemalan authorities and civil society. Mr Piebalgs is also expected to reaffirm the EU’s on-going commitment to cooperation with Guatemala.
EU helps to boost food security and build resilience to drought in Ethiopia
04/10/2013
The European Union (EU) has announced that it will provide €50 million to improve food security and build resilience to drought in southern and eastern Ethiopia. The new funds will help to boost food security in the lowland areas of Ethiopia through a series of long-term measures: for example, it will support a mechanism that provides cash and food to vulnerable people in case of a shock (eg during a drought) and will improve nutrition, for instance by promoting dietary diversification and the local production of vegetables, milk and forage.
Significant new EU development assistance foreseen for Central America
03/10/2013
Supporting security and the rule of law, disaster management and the fight against climate change, will be among the priorities for EU Development Assistance in the period 2014-2020. EU funds will be made available to that end, as well as to improve regional integration across Central America, as announced by European Development Commissioner, Andris Piebalgs.
New EU support to forestry in Honduras
01/10/2013
The European Union today signed an agreement with Honduras to provide €47m of new funding to help protect forests in the country. The project, known as Eurofor, will cost €49.1 m in total, and will help local forest communities, together with civil society groups, to better manage the forests by improving research on forestry and agro forestry and providing better employment opportunities and increased food security through access to water and sustainable forest systems (such as environmental services, effective implementation of national and local management plans, reforestation initiatives).
