Press release  223/2006
7 July, 2006

Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja will represent Finland as the holder of the EU Presidency in the Ministerial Euro-African Conference on Migration and Development in Rabat on 10-11 July.

The Conference will handle the management of migratory routes from West and Central Africa to Europe, placing emphasis on partnership between the participating countries. The Conference will examine the question extensively from the point of view of migration and development policies. The Conference is scheduled to approve a political declaration and an action plan containing concrete recommendations for measures.

During the Conference, Tuomioja will also have bilateral talks with Foreign Minister of Morocco Mohamed Benaïsse, Foreign Minister of Spain Miguel Angel Moratinos, British Minister of State for Europe Geoff Hoon, and Minister for Migration and Asylum Policy of Sweden Barbro Holmström.

Further information: Deputy Director General Anne Sipiläinen, Political Department, tel. +358 40 538 9514, and Counsellor Ilkka Rentola, Unit for Human Rights Policy, tel. +358 40 723 9731, from Ministry for Foreign Affairs, and Ministerial Counsellor Eero Koskenniemi, tel. +358 40 757 6767, from the Ministry for the Interior.