Press Release: EU deploys 160 strong election observation team in Zimbabwe

The European Commission approved on 30 May 2000 a €1.83m project for Electoral Observation in Zimbabwe. Member States are expected to contribute an additional € 0.6m in cash or kind (travel costs of observers etc), leading to a total EU effort of €2.4m Having received assurances from the Zimbabwean Government concerning access and security of observers, the EU has decided to mobilise an Observation Team with a total of 160 observers, including the central Observation Unit. More than a hundred observers will be deployed during the first week of June, for a six-week period, and the rest will arrive in the country about a week before the elections, scheduled for 24-25 June 2000. Norway will be fully associated with this exercise and add an additional 10 observers to the EU team.