State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation Zdenko Lucić participated on Tuesday in an informal virtual meeting of EU development ministers.
The meeting, chaired by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, saw the participation of German Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Müller, European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen, as well as EU ministers and state secretaries. Participating in the opening part was Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme David Muldrow Beasley, who spoke about the food safety in Africa.
One of the topics of the meeting was the EU’s response to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, as well as stimulating investment, Africa’s green and digital transition, and food safety. The participants highlighted the EU’s joint response to the pandemic through Team Europe, which had offered partner countries humanitarian aid as well as EUR 36 million worth of development support to alleviate the socioeconomic consequences of the crisis.
State Secretary Lucić underlined Croatia’s willingness to take active part in and contribute to Africa’s recovery from the pandemic through Team Europe, enabling the youth to get involved in sustainable development of their area. In addition, it is necessary to ensure food safety and access to vaccination in the future for the most vulnerable groups in Africa, the state secretary said.
The participants also discussed the progress of the EU-OACPS talks on new “Post Cotonou” agreement and the current situation in Belarus.