Foreign Minister Tuomioja attends EU and Africa meeting

Press release 119/2006
5 May, 2006


Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja will attend the ministerial meeting between the European Union and the African Union in Vienna on Monday, 8 May. The EU will be represented by the so called troika, led by Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik. Commissioner Louis Michel who is responsible for the EU´s development cooperation will also attend the meeting. The AU delegation will be chaired by the current President, Foreign Minister Rodolphe Adada from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The agenda of the meeting focuses on African issues, one of the pivotal questions being the EU Strategy for Africa, its implementation and further development with the African partners, as well as immigration issues. The EU Strategy for Africa which was adopted last year during the British EU Presidency covers North and Sub-Saharan Africa and aims at the implementation of the UN Millennium Goals. In addition to the African Union, the regional cooperation organisations and international agencies are important partners.

The ministers will also discuss current political issues in Africa, such as the situations in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad and Uganda.

A similar ministerial meeting between the EU and AU is scheduled to take place during the Finnish EU Presidency, only this time on the African continent.

Further information: Director Jarno Syrjälä, Unit for European Common Foreign and Security Policy, tel. +358 40 836 0594