Nauru became part of the group of African, Caribbean and Pacific states in 2000.

Political dialogue

The EU's political dialogue with Nauru focuses on:

• protecting its vulnerable environment, especially in relation to climate change
• defending human rights and gender issues.

 

The EU and Nauru are discussing how to collaborate more closely in multilateral fora on these and other issues.

Aid and cooperation

Development relations with the EU focus on addressing the population's basic energy needs.

The 9^th and 10^th  European Development Funds (EDF) provided some €6m – the 9^th EDF Energy Sector Programme supported the installation of pre-payment meters and solar PV panels, which helped to lower electricity consumption and achieve 24h availability of electricity.

Under the 10^th European Development Fund, the EU and Nauru signed a new Country Strategy Paper for 2008–13, with a budget of € 2.7m. Under this strategy, EU assistance focuses on:

• reducing fuel‑import costs and contributing to a cleaner environment by providing cost-
• effective and reliable renewable energy, promoting energy efficiency and self-sufficiency
  establishing a technical cooperation facility to fund necessary local or regional technical assistance, including measures to boost governance, government transparency and regional integration.

 

The EU acknowledges the progress made by Nauru in recent years particularly in the field of governance, following the catastrophic effects of the country's economic and financial crisis, and is pleased to see Nauru advancing its own National Sustainable Development Strategy and recently adopting its Infrastructure Strategy and Investment Plan.