EU Foreign Ministers Discuss Widening of Cooperation With Southern Neighbourhood Countries
26 November 2020 News
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ekaterina Zaharieva took part in a ministerial meeting between the EU and the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood, which was held in a video conference format. The goal of he forum was to discuss the Europe-Mediterranean cooperation in a changed global context.
In the course of their discussion the representatives of the EU member states and the partners from the Southern Neighbourhood reconfirmed the need for closer cooperation between the two shores of the Mediterranean for meeting the common challenges concerning security , the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic and social consequences.
The ways in which the EU and the partner states could overcome together the current and future consequences of the coronavirus were also discussed.
The lessons learned from the pandemic must be used for encouraging mutual cooperation in the sectors of healthcare and social issues, sustainable economic recovery, including through scientific studies and innovations, the diversification of the production of medical and food products and the development of shorter delivery paths.
The problems of security, combating terrorism, migration, and social inequality were also in the focus of the talks. The common strategic interest in achieving lasting peace and sustainable development in the region was pointed out and the need for a solution to the crises in Syria and Libya was asserted as a top priority.
Today’s forum marked the official start of the joint consultations between the EU member states and the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, and Tunisia) with a view to preparing a joint communication on an updated partnership between the EU and the Southern Neighbourhood.
In the context of the pandemic and as part of the measures for combating COVID-19, the EU provided to the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood 18 million euros to cover their immediate needs, 888 million euros for strengthening their health sectors, and 1.3 billion euros for the region’s short- and mid-term economic and social recovery.