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EU Commissioner Michel to visit Liberia for Sirleaf investiture

Summary: EU Commissioner Michel to visit Liberia for Sirleaf investiture (13 January 2006: Brussels)

FR - DE

Next Monday Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, will attend the investiture of Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, the first woman to be elected to presidential office on the African continent. Mr Michel and the Liberian government will then sign the Country Strategy Document and the Indicative Programme approved by the Commission in November 2005. This will enable cooperation to be stepped up with a West African country ravaged by a 14-year war that claimed tens of thousands of victims and almost entirely destroyed its infrastructure.

The presence of Louis Michel at the ceremony in Monrovia for the investiture of the new President and her vice-President, and the signing of the cooperation framework, are intended to underline the European Commission's support for the country's transition. Mr Michel will also use the example of President Johnson-Sirleaf to highlight the existence of a new generation of African women who are gradually taking up positions at the highest level in their countries.

"After 14 years of war, the people of Liberia have successfully carried out free elections," said Mr Michel. "As we all know, the challenges facing Ms Sirleaf are immense. We have to rise to them together, by stepping up the cooperation we began after the peace agreement was signed."

Last November, Liberia held elections which were considered to be free and transparent by all observers, including 70 from the EU. On 23 November, after the second round of voting, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf won the presidency with 59.4% of the vote.

The war in Liberia has also had repercussions for Sierra Leone and Guinea. Maintaining stability in Liberia therefore remains crucial for the stability of the region as a whole. With that in mind, Commissioner Michel will be taking part in a meeting of the International Contact Group for the Mano River Basin, which will be attended by the main countries and international organisations supplying aid and development to the region.

The European Commission is a key player in Liberia's development and, together with the US, is the country's main donor. Since the August 2003 agreement, the country has received Commission assistance worth €186.5 million, including

Further operations are planned for 2006, including €16.4 million for humanitarian aid and €4 million for food security operations.

The European Commission welcomed Ms Johnson Sirleaf's unambiguous statements about her intention to fight corruption and her support for GEMAP, the Governance and Economic Management Assistance Programme signed on 9 September 2005. This is an important commitment if aid is to be stepped up, and if the UN sanctions still in place are to be lifted.

  • Ref: EC06-011EN
  • EU source: European Commission
  • UN forum: 
  • Date: 13/1/2006


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See also
 

European Union Member States