This is a Report on the visit to Zimbabwe of the Delegation of the Development Committee of the European Parliament to Zimbabwe (29 April – 3 May 2013)
The terms of reference for this visit were as follows:
“The visit is a part of the overall re-engagement process. The progress made towards the implementation of the Global Political Agreement has allowed the EU to work directly with the Government of National Unity to develop new assistance programmes. The purpose of the visit is to get a better overview and update of the government priorities, needs of the population and existing aid programmes in view of the programming and preparation of the Country Strategy Paper for EU cooperation with Zimbabwe in the framework of the 11th European Development Fund (2014-2020). Special interest lies in food security and agriculture, health and the energy sector.”
The Report concludes that the future direction of the EU-Zimbabwe re-engagement process is largely linked to how the upcoming elections and democratic transition under the Global Political Agreement will be managed. The EU is ready to engage with whatever government that is formed as a result of peaceful, transparent and credible process. The country is facing serious development challenges, but it has a lot of advantages, such as an educated population, fertile land, a good climate and rich natural resourceswhich, if managed sustainably, can contribute to the country’s rapid development. Zimbabwe as a prominent player in the region and its organisations has a potential to positively contribute to the whole region’s development. Read moreEU Report on Zimbabwe
