Press releases
The Joint Africa-EU Strategy
27/05/2011
MEMO/11/351 Brussels, 27 May 2011 Towards a strategic partnership between EU and Africa The first EU-Africa Summit was held in Cairo in 2000. The African Union (AU) was established in 2002, enabling the EU to discuss pan-African issues with an international ...
South Sudan: Commission welcomes the Council's decision to provide €200 million to support a sustainable and peaceful creation of the new state
23/05/2011
IP/11/628 Brussels, 23 May 2011 EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, welcomes today's decision of the EU foreign affairs ministers to allocate €200 million to South Sudan. This follows the proposal of the European Commission, announced by ...
European Union contributes to the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery
20/05/2011
IP/11/619 Brussels, 20 May 2011 54.5 million Euros to support disaster risk reduction programmes in African, Caribbean, and Pacific countries. The World Bank and the European Commission have signed a financial agreement to support the Global Facility ...
Andris Piebalgs European Commissioner for Development South Sudan: towards the creation of a new state Inauguration of the EU Compound and Europe Day Celebration Juba, South Sudan, 13 May 2011
13/05/2011
SPEECH/11/336 Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, The road ahead It is a great pleasure to be here in Juba – soon to become the world's newest capital city – as South Sudan prepares for independence....
Gearing up for the future: Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs visits South Sudan
10/05/2011
IP/11/549 Brussels, 10 May 2011 From 12th to 14th May, Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs will visit the Republic of Sudan, including South Sudan. This is the first official visit by a European Commissioner since the referendum took place last January. ...
Fight against illegal logging: the European Union and Liberia team up to ensure legal origin of imported wood products to the EU
09/05/2011
IP/11/548 Brussels, 9 May 2011 By early 2014, all shipments of wood products to the European Union from Liberia will be required to carry a license certifying their legal origin. A Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) to that end was signed on 9 May ...
Update: Frequently asked questions on illegal logging
09/05/2011
MEMO/11/278 Brussels, 9 May 2011 What is the Commission doing to combat illegal timber products to appear on the EU market? The Commission is actively working with developing countries that produce timber for the EU market to ensure that they have the ...
Commission underlines its commitment to helping world's least developed countries out of poverty
06/05/2011
IP/11/546 Brussels, 6 May 2011 From 9 to 11 of May José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission and Andris Piebalgs, Development Commissioner, will at a conference in Istanbul, reemphasise the European Commission's leading role in helping ...
Commission underlines its commitment to helping world's least developed countries out of poverty
06/05/2011
MEMO/11/277 Brussels, 6 May 2011 From 9-13 May 2011, the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC) will take place in Istanbul, Turkey. The European Commission will be represented by European Commission President, Jose Manuel ...
Commissioner Andris Piebalgs visits Guinea to discuss the next steps in resuming EU-Guinea cooperation, with new President Alpha Condé
05/05/2011
IP/11/538 Brussels, 5 May 2011 On 6 and 7 May, European Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs will travel to Conakry, Guinea, to discuss the next steps in resuming EU-Guinea cooperation. The visit takes place in the context of a gradual return ...
Commissioner Piebalgs visits Côte d'Ivoire to assure President Ouattara of the EU's full support for a swift and sustainable recovery of the country
04/05/2011
IP/11/537 Brussels, 4 May 2011 As the first EU official to visit Côte d'Ivoire after the crisis, EU Commissioner for Development Cooperation, Andris Piebalgs, will meet President Ouattara on Friday 6 May in Abidjan to confirm EU's full support towards ...
Great stories have the power to change the world – Commission launches the Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize 2011
03/05/2011
IP/11/524 Brussels, 3 May 2011 Today, on World Press Freedom Day, the Commission launches the Lorenzo Natali Journalism Prize 2011. The Prize is awarded for excellence in written, radio and TV journalism on the theme of development, democracy and human ...