http://english.cri.cn/6826/2013/06/14/2821s770200.htm
EU Grants 37 Mln Euros to IGAD Countries to Fight against Piracy
2013-06-14 17:18:38 Xinhua Web Editor: Liu Ranran
The European Union has granted 37 million euros to the member states of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) to reinforce the fight against maritime piracy off the East African coastline.
The European Union has granted 37 million euros to the member states of the Inter-Governmental Authority for Development (IGAD) to reinforce the fight against maritime piracy off the East African coastline.
The head of the EU delegation, Joseph Silva, and the IGAD executive secretary, Mahboub Mohamed Maaline, signed the agreement on Thursday in Djibouti, the headquarters of the regional body.
The grant was given under the auspices of the EU Regional Maritime Security Program (MASE), which seeks to reinforce maritime security in waters off Africa's eastern and southern coastline, where piracy has become a headache for the past decade.
The IGAD is composed of Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda.
Approved in 2011, the MASE Program is supported by the 10th European Fund for Development involving four sub-regional organizations in Africa.
The four sub-regional organizations include the Common Market for the Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East African Community (EAC), the IGAD and the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC).
The executive secretary of the IGAD hailed the EU's continued support to East African and Indian Ocean countries whose waters have become less secure due to piracy, especially in the Somali waters.
"The reinforcement of security along the maritime routes is crucial for us, because it will be beneficial to trade and will promote the region's growth," he said.
Received on Fri Jun 14 2013 - 16:16:17 EDT