Africa and the EU
Europe and Africa have close historical, cultural and geographical ties. EU-Africa relations are based on the 2000 Cotonou Agreement with African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, which grew out of the 1975 Lomé Convention.
A large batch of critical COVID-19 health supplies donated by Germany, the European Union and UNDP in the framework of the RPPP programme (Regional Programme Support to Pandemic Prevention in the ECOWAS Region) arrived in Freetown from Nigeria on Tuesday 6 April 2021.
Agriculture is a critical component of West Africa’s economy, a region composed of a variety of ecosystems that provide suitable land for food production. For decades, Sierra Leone has however seen a steady decline in agricultural sustainability and innovation due to outdated agricultural practices, land degradation and climate change. Despite its abundance of favorable natural resources including its tropical climate and heavy rainfall, Sierra Leone has as a result become one of the region’s most economically endangered countries.
03/04/2021 – HR/VP Blog - The humanitarian situation in the Ethiopian Tigray region remains very serious. This conflict threatens also to destabilise the whole Horn of Africa. I have asked Pekka Haavisto, Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs, to travel to Ethiopia to repeat our requests to the government and assess the situation. For the EU, helping to stop the human right abuses in the Tigray region and restore peace in Ethiopia is a high priority.
The EU Delegation has announced the implementation of Agro-Tech Development initiatives in Sierra Leone and is now accepting concept note submissions for these initiatives. Award amounts will range from EUR 100,000 to EUR 2,000,000.
31/03/2021 – HR/VP Blog – The Syria conflict has wreaked havoc for ten years and it is still going on. That is why we must continue to mobilise international support for the Syrian people. We achieved this with the Fifth “Brussels Conference on the future of Syria and the region” this week – generating € 5,3 billion of new pledges. But we also need to renew the search for a political solution to the crisis.
One year ago today, the European Commission and the High Representative set out plans for a targeted EU response to support partner countries' efforts in tackling the Coronavirus pandemic combining resources from the EU, its Member States and European financial institutions, as ‘Team Europe'. By 1 January 2021, Team Europe had already supported partner countries around the world with more than €26 billion, 65% of the overall response package that now stands at over €40 billion and exceeding the original €20 billion pledged. Team Europe is also working to ensure global, equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines and supporting the rollout of vaccination campaigns, while exploring possibilities for boosting local manufacturing capacity.
