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AU, EU ink partnership deal for support program

Xinhua, June 30, 2016 Adjust font size:

The African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) have signed a partnership agreement for the AU Support Programme III (AUSP III), which has a new co-funding of 51 million euros.

The two sides on Wednesday signed the AUSP III in the framework of the first Steering Committee on the Aide Memoire between the European Commission (EC) and the AU Commission (AUC) on measures to strengthen the financial management of the pan-African bloc, according to a statement from AU on Thursday.

About 85 percent of the co-funding is from EU and 15 percent from AU.

The AUSP provides support to AU in building capacity for the implementation of Africa's key priorities such as the continental free trade area (CFTA), infrastructure development and the operationalization of the African Governance Architecture, noted the statement.

Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission, has commended EU for the support it has been providing to the AU over the years.

"Support under the AU Support Programme has helped consolidate the institutional transformation of the AU Commission and other Organs," said the Deputy Chairperson.

"The AU Commission has also benefited from other EU funded programmes which include support to Peace and Security, Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA), Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Election Observation, AU Research Grants and we are actively engaged on future programs of support," he added.

Speaking on the occasion, the Deputy Director General for International Cooperation and Development (DEVCO) Klaus Rudischhauser said, "I am delighted to be here in Addis Ababa to witness another important step forward in the implementation of the Africa-EU Partnership."

The AUSP III is the main flagship program of Joint Africa-EU Strategy Roadmap agreed in the 4th EU-Africa Summit.

The program will have two main results, including, enhanced European-African Union policy dialogue and efficiency in the performance of the AU Commission, and effective implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy Roadmap 2014-2017 by the AU Commission, according to the statement.

The AUSP III that will run from July 2016 to June 2019 will focus on the joint priorities reaffirmed in the last College to College meeting held in April 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital. Endit