Karzai in Straatsburg voor tekening Verklaring partnerschap EU-Afghanistan (en)

Hamid Karzai, President of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, today will visit Strasbourg to attend the signing of the Joint Declaration on a new partnership between Afghanistan and the European Union.

Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah will be signing the Declaration on the Afghan side. Benita Ferrero-Waldner i, Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, will represent the European Commission at this ceremony. Other EU participants will include Jack Straw, UK Foreign Secretary, representing the Presidency of the Council of the EU, and Javier Solana i, High Representative for the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy.

This Declaration establishes shared priorities for the next phase in Afghanistan's transition, following the completion of the Bonn process. The declaration sets out commitments for both parties, designed to promote Afghanistan's political and economic development, and deepen further the EU-Afghan partnership.

"Following the recent elections, Afghanistan is opening a new chapter". said Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner,. "The European Commission has delivered faithfully on its commitments to Afghanistan in the early phase of transition: we intend to remain a major partner for the new administration. With this Joint Declaration the EU is committing itself to a long-term partnership with the Afghan government to achieve lasting peace, stability and prosperity in Afghanistan."

The inauguration next month of the new National Assembly will formally conclude the political transition process agreed by Afghan factions under UN auspices in Bonn in December 2001. Despite the progress achieved, Afghanistan still faces major challenges. The EU-Afghanistan Joint Declaration reaffirms the EU's strong support for the ongoing stabilisation efforts. It makes clear the kind of progress which the EU hopes to foster in Afghanistan, in co-operation with the duly-elected government, across a range of sectors. These include political and economic governance; security-sector and justice-sector reform; counter-narcotics; economic and social development; human rights, civil society and refugee return. The Joint Declaration also formalises political dialogue, in the form of annual meetings at ministerial level to discuss issues of common interest and concern.

Since the fall of the Taliban, the EU has supported Afghanistan financially, militarily and politically: The EU accounted for 30% of the $12.5 billion in grants pledged at the two major international conferences held in Tokyo (January 2002) and Berlin (March-April 2004), including €1 billion pledged by the European Commission for the period 2002-2006. EU member states have also made significant troop contributions, in particular to the UN-mandated and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force which is currently responsible for assisting the government with security in Kabul and in the north and west of the country.

The EC is on track to deliver €1 billion in reconstruction aid by the end of 2006, as pledged at the Tokyo conference. Assistance has focused mainly on public administration reform and support for government institutions; rural development, food security and alternative livelihoods for farmers; infrastructure and healthcare. Other support has been given to assist de-mining, and the promotion of human rights, civil society and free media. Assistance has also been given to the police and for the elections process charted out in the Bonn Agreement.

The EU also deployed a Democracy and election Support Mission for the Presidential election of October 2004 and a fully Election Observation Mission (EOM) for the parliamentary and provincial elections of September 2005. The EOM, which was headed by Emma Bonino MEP, is expected to deliver its final report and recommendations in December.

For complete information on the Commission's assistance to Afghanistan since 2002 see MEMO/05/156.

For more details:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/afghanistan/intro/index.htm