Press Release: The EU strengthens its joint development strategy in Mali and steps up its response

On 26 February 2013, Commissioner for Development Andris Piebalgs hosted a coordination meeting of EU development ministers to reinforce the European Union's common response to Mali's development challenges.

This meeting with Mr Tieman Hubert Coulibaly, the Malian Minister of Foreign Affairs and with Mr Tienan Coulibaly, the Malian Minister of Economy and Finances, is an illustration of EU's commitment for increasing development effectiveness through joint-programming.

Commissioner Piebalgs stated: "Responding to the development needs in Mali requires both a critical mass in funding and excellent coordination. Today, we have taken a significant step towards designing a common, coherent and comprehensive European response. This joint approach will be presented at an international donors’ conference which France and the European Union will host in May."

Commissioner Piebalgs added: "Our strategy will be tailor made to the various development needs of the country, while also enabling us to implement the projects gradually; in a way that reflects the Malian authorities' concrete progress in putting in place the transition roadmap and full restoration of the rule of law. On top of assisting the country in restoring democracy and peace, we will focus primarily on social services, governance, decentralisation and supporting the economy."

One of the priorities will be to catch up on under-investments in the education and health sectors. This will allow for the resumption of large-scale immunisation programmes. The agricultural sector will also be supported by providing seeds and fertilisers to farmers to prevent future food crises. Resuming maintenance and constructing roads, as well as other deteriorated infrastructure, will create jobs (around 20,000 jobs envisaged) and support economic activity.

Additional programs will be implemented; covering governance (technical assistance for public finance management, audit etc.), the judicial system (training, rehabilitation of buildings…), the peace dialogue and human rights. Previous programs in sectors like water and sanitation, as well as in infrastructure (rehabilitation of roads, for example) will also be restarted.

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