The European Commission yesterday co-signed two new support programmes worth €38 million in total in the field of rural development and trade with Sri Lanka, as EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, arrived for a three day visit to the country, a statement from the commission said.
Ahead of the visit Commissioner Mimica said: "With this new support, we are boosting our longstanding relationship with Sri Lanka on development cooperation. The EU has made an important contribution in providing humanitarian assistance and reconstruction support to help Sri Lanka recover from the war and the tsunami. Now our focus is on providing long-term support towards poverty reduction and local economic development. We have a new opportunity to support governance and reconciliation efforts and help address the root causes of the conflict in Sri Lanka. "
During his visit, Commissioner Mimica will hold a series of high-level meetings, including with the President Maithripala Sirisena, the Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera, and other senior members of the Government. The Commissioner will also meet with civil society representatives, including those working on women's empowerment, child rights, disappeared people and media freedom.
Programmes explained
€30 million will go to the programme 'Integrated Rural Development in the Most Vulnerable Districts of the Central and Uva Provinces'. The programme aims to improve livelihoods and household incomes, as well as access to drinking water and healthcare services for the most vulnerable of the population in Sri Lanka.
€8 million will go towards trade related assistance to help Sri Lanka reap the benefits of further integration into the global and regional trading system. It will help the country develop relevant policies, and improve their market access, competitiveness and compliance with international standards.
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