EU-UN Press Communiqué - EU President Barroso meets SG Annan

The Secretary-General of the United Nations and the President of the European Commission met in New York today to review UN-EU cooperation and discuss the process leading up to the Summit of world leaders to be held at the UN in September 2005. They also discussed the situation in Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Iraq. They emphasized their shared commitment to Africa as a clear priority in the work for development, peace and security, welcoming the increasing role of the African Union in this area.

The Secretary-General and the Commission President expressed satisfaction with the remarkable progress achieved by the UN and the EU in further developing their partnership in recent years, particularly in the areas of conflict prevention, crisis management and humanitarian aid. Citing the conclusion of a number of "strategic partnership agreements" between the UN and the European Commission, including on financial co-operation, they agreed to strengthen further existing co-operation in economic and social affairs.

The Secretary-General and the Commission President stressed their shared goal of strengthening multilateral institutions. The Secretary-General welcomed EU support for UN reform, and for the ongoing consultations on reform led by the President of the General Assembly. He also welcomed ongoing discussions about ways for the UN and the EU to work together with regional and sub-regional organizations, in line with the proposals in his "In Larger Freedom" report.

The Commission President stressed that the Commission was determined to contribute to a successful outcome of the UN Summit. He underlined the need to step up collective efforts to reach the Millennium Development Goals, adding that the EU had been at the forefront of such efforts by making ambitious proposals to increase the quantity and quality of development finance, strengthening policy coherence for development and focusing attention on Sub-Saharan Africa.

The Commission President underscored the critical importance of human rights to development and security, concurring with the need to strengthen the UN's human rights machinery at the Secretariat and intergovernmental levels. He also welcomed proposals for enhancing UN peacebuilding capacities.

In the context of the ongoing Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference, the Commission President stressed that the nuclear agenda -- in particular the role of the International Atomic Energy Agency -- needed to be taken into full consideration within the framework of the UN reform process.

The Secretary-General and the Commission President emphasized that 2005 was a decisive year for the United Nations and the world, on a wide range of issues, and called for action-oriented decisions to be taken at the September Summit. The Secretary-General commended the European Union for its firm leadership on several key issues, and thanked the EU for its support and commitment to achieving a successful outcome at the Summit. They underlined the importance of a series of high-level meetings leading up to the Summit, including forthcoming General Assembly sessions on HIV/AIDS and financing for development.

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