According to a Foreign Ministry release, the one-day dialogue focused on political and security matters, including the U. N Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) transition and counter-terrorism; elections lessons learnt and the way forward for 2017; rule of law and human rights.
Participants also discussed Liberia’s economic situation, including the 2016/2017 proposed national budget; bilateral trade issues; development cooperation issues, including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Agenda for Transformation mid-term review; update on Liberia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), ratification and economic partnership agreement (EPA), among others.
Other matters discussed included thematic and bilateral issues - Schengen Visa, climate change, migration and regional issues, including an update on ECOWAS and African Union developments and the African Peace Facility.
The 4th EU-Liberia Political Dialogue was led by Liberia’s Foreign Minister Ms. Marjon Kamara with the participation of several ministries and agencies of the government, including the Ministries of Finance and Development Planning, Defense, Justice, Health, Agriculture and Commerce and Industry.
Others are the National Elections Commission (NEC), Forestry Development Authority (FDA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Liberia Refugee, Repatriation and Resettlement Commission (LRRRC) and the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization (BIN).
The Liberia Chamber of Commerce (LCC) also participated in the discussions.
The Head of the European Delegation, Ambassador Tiina Intelmann led the EU’s delegation that included the Ambassadors of Germany, France, Sweden; the Charge d’Affaires and Deputy Head of Sahel and West Africa Team and the Political Counselor of the EU Delegation.
The EU-Liberia Political Dialogue is in line with Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement which states that the EU and Member States of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries which include Liberia, shall regularly engage in a comprehensive, balanced and deep political dialogue leading to commitments on both sides.
The dialogue aims to exchange information, to foster mutual understanding, and to facilitate the establishment of agreed priorities and shared agenda, in particular by recognizing existing links between the different aspects of the relations between the parties and the various areas of cooperation as laid down in the Agreement.
The dialogue strengthens the cooperation between the parties as well as promotes and sustains a system of effective multilateralism.
Since the EU-Liberia Political Dialogue was launched by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and the managing director for Africa at the European External Action Services (EEAS), Dr. Nick Westcott, on June 21, 2012, there have been three dialogues held.
The inaugural edition was held on Thursday, November 22, 2012; the second on February 17, 2014; and the third on April 28, 2015.
Following these dialogues, the EU Heads of Mission and the Government of Liberia represented by the Foreign Minister agreed at the political dialogue meeting in April 2015, to organize ad hoc specific political dialogue meetings on matters of joint interests.
The April formal dialogue was followed by specific dialogue meetings to include meetings with the EPA on May 27, 2015; the Constitution Review Committee on June 4, 2015; the General Auditing Commission on August 3, 2015; and the Bureau of Immigration and Naturalization on February 6, 2016.
LINA PR/TSS/PTK