On the first day of an official visit, European Commissioner for International Co-operation and Development Neven Mimica has announces a Joint European Strategy for Bolivia 2017-2020.
Mimica will visit Bolivia from 3 to 5 May in order to present the Joint European Strategy for Bolivia 2017-2020, which is worth more than €530m. The strategy represents a commitment by European member states including the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Sweden and Germany to work more closely and align development co-operation interventions.
In this way, the EU aims to strengthen the impact of contributions, reduce fragmentation in development support and increase the effectiveness of overall development efforts taking place in Bolivia.
The EU has contributed some €52m towards integral development and food security in the country since 2013, and Mimica will visit projects across Bolivia that have benefited from this financing, including a banana packing co-operative and aquiculture sites.
What does the new strategy entail?
The Joint European Strategy for Bolivia 2017-2020 seeks to focus development contributions in eight key areas which will deliver improvements in quality of life for Bolivian people:
- Culture and tourism;
- Rural development and food security;
- Integral development;
- Education;
- Governance;
- Environment and climate change;
- Health; and
- Economic development and employment.
Support for integral development also includes aiding the country in the fight against drug trafficking, by diversifying coca production. EU support in Bolivia has already delivered results in this area, with a 26% net reduction in the country’s coca-cultivated surface since 2010.
What has Mimica said about the visit?
Ahead of his visit to Bolivia, Mimica welcomed the incoming strategy, and the successful conclusion of collaboration between Bolivia and the EU member states which led to the preparation of the agreement.
He explained: “The EU’s partnership with Bolivia is stronger than ever with the launch of Bolivia’s first joint European strategy of €530 million that we have elaborated in close co-operation with the Bolivian government. This strategy aims at creating a common framework for the EU’s development cooperation in Bolivia… This joint strategy will help to deliver a truly European development policy.”
