European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker,
together with some European Heads of State, launched today in Valletta
the EU's Emergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes
of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa.
President Juncker said: "Through
its long-standing development cooperation over the years, the EU has
been substantially contributing to tackling the root causes of poverty
and migration. Today, we are taking a step further. This
Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, set up at a record speed, shows once
more the EU's commitment to swiftly reply to the large challenges we are
facing in the region. To succeed, we need to work together with other
European countries and our partner countries in Africa in addressing the
root causes of irregular migration and promoting economic and equal
opportunities, security and development. For the Africa Trust Fund and
our response to be credible, I want to see more Member States
contributing and matching the €1,8 billion the EU has put forward."
The
Emergency Trust Fund is made up of €1.8 billion from the European Union
financing...
instruments as well as contributions from EU Member States
and other donors. So far, 25 EU Member States and 2 non-EU donors
(Norway and Switzerland) have announced a total contribution of around
€81.2 million.[1]
The Emergency Trust Fund is an innovative way how the EU is stepping up
its collective response to current challenges on the ground and is a
complementary tool to the EU's already existing development cooperation
in the region to assist the most fragile and vulnerable countries across
Africa. It represents an important instrument to effectively implement
the Action Plan to be adopted at the Valletta Summit and will benefit
the Sahel region and Lake Chad area; the Horn of Africa and the North of
Africa. Together, these encompass the major African migration routes to
Europe. Neighbouring countries in these regions may also benefit from
the Trust Fund's projects to address regional migration flows and
related cross-border challenges.
The first meeting of the
Strategic Board of the EU's Emergency Trust Fund will take place already
today in Valletta to ensure the swift launch of activities. The Trust
Fund Board is chaired by the European Commission and composed of
representatives of Member States and other contributing donors. Partner
countries and regional organisations have also been invited to
participate.
Background
Valletta Summit on migration
Migration
has long been a key component of EU-Africa relations. The EU and its
Member States have already been investing towards tackling the root
causes of migration with over €20 billion of official development
assistance (ODA) to Africa every year. The current refugee crisis has
however shown that it is time to increase this cooperation between
Europe and Africa, based on partnership and shared responsibility. Both
continents share a commitment to improve migration management.
The
Valletta Summit was called by the European Council in April 2015 to
discuss migration issues with African and other key countries concerned.
The Emergency Trust Fund for Africa is one of the main deliverables of
this summit. An Action Plan to step up cooperation on migration is also
expected to be adopted at the Valletta Summit, including concrete
actions in order to:
- maximise the development benefits of migration and address root causes;
- better organise legal channels for migration and mobility;
- ensure international protection for migrants and asylum seekers;
- intensify the fight against criminal networks engaged in migrant smuggling and human trafficking,
- step up our cooperation on return and readmission.
[1] See factsheet on the EU's Emergency Trust Fund
