The first in a series of eight consultations across the Caribbean has been held in Trinidad and Tobago last week to identify agricultural and fisheries priorities for the development of country action plans. The national consultation on the project funded by the European Union, Support to the Caribbean Forum of ACP States in the Implementation of Commitments, undertaken under the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA): Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Measures, is also aimed at increasing production and trade in agriculture and fisheries.

EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, has announced on Friday 31 January 2014 that the European Commission stands ready to give new support in the range of €25 million to the African Union-led operation in the Central African Republic (CAR), (Mission Internationale de Soutien à la Centrafrique sous Conduite Africaine, MISCA), based on a request to be done by the African Union. The announcement was done ahead of a donors’ conference in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) to mobilise resources for MISCA.

The European Union (EU) has granted the Mauritanian government 67 million euros under a fisheries accord signed between the two parties in August 2012, the EU announced on Thursday 9 January in Nouakchott.

The EU and South Africa will step up collaboration in the fields of global health research, earth observation and research infrastructures, senior officials agreed at a meeting in Brussels on Jan. 13. The 12th Joint Science and Technology Cooperation Committee meeting took place to review and plan new priorities of collaboration under the new EU research and innovation programme Horizon 2020 and similar South African research programmes.

The European Commission has released almost €140 million to finance five development projects for the Republic of Guinea. Following inclusive and peaceful elections held on 28 September 2013, the European Union was able to resume full cooperation with the country and release the funds from the 10th EDF (European Development Fund) (2008 2013).

The European Union (EU) will give Zambia 484 million Euros (about K3.63 billion) support for the period between 2014 and 2020 for development projects and governance issues. This follows talks held between the Zambian Government and the EU on future Strategic Partnership at which the 11th European Development Fund Programme was subsequently negotiated.

Amid the continuing crisis in the Central African Republic, the European Union is again transporting urgently needed humanitarian assistance into the country. Today, a plane ferried 80 tons of relief supplies from Nairobi, Kenya into the Central African Republic capital, Bangui, including emergency shelter, blankets and basic household items such as soap and kitchen utensils.

EuropeAid has set up a technical assistance facility - SOCIEUX: Social Protection European Union Expertise in Development Cooperation - in order to support the efforts of Partner Countries to better design and manage their social protection systems. It’s a demand-driven facility through which partner countries are invited to submit requests for assistance in a simple format. Its implementation period is 2013-2017.

The European Commission (EC) released a report, titled 'Recording Disaster Losses: Recommendations for a European Approach,' which outlines a pathway for a standardized European approach to record and manage disaster loss. The EC notes that disaster loss databases are useful for: implementing local- to national-scale disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies in Europe; and helping to better understand disaster loss trends at the global level.

EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs announced yesterday close to €3 billion in grants for countries and organisations in the region of Central Africa for the period 2014-2020. The announcement was made during a two-day event to discuss development cooperation with Ministers and other authorities of the involved countries and regional organisations. The new funding, still subject to confirmation by the EU Member States, will aim to benefit the 162 million citizens living in a region that has suffered from a number of armed conflicts as well as chronic poverty and malnutrition. Future programmes are expected to support investments that generate growth, improve access to basic social services (e.g. health, energy), reduce food insecurity and promote peace and stability.