Earlier today EU NAVFOR’s Operation Commander, Major general Rob Magowan CBE, and Force Commander, Rear Admiral Fernandez-Pintado Munoz-Rojas, joined the EU Ambassador to Somalia, Veronique Lorenzo and EU mission heads at the international camp in Mogadishu’s international airport for a reception to celebrate Europe Day, which takes place each year on 9 May.
The Somali Government’s House of the People Speaker and acting President, Mohamed, Osman Jawari, was invited to attend the Europe Day reception as the EU Ambassador’s chief guest.
This year's Europe Day celebrations coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties that laid the foundations for the European Union of today. The EU is also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the ERASMUS student exchange programme, which is considered by many to be one of the most successful EU programmes. Several Somali students have received scholarships under the ERASMUS Mundus programme for post-graduate students from outside Europe.
Speaking during the reception, Ambassador Lorenzo said “I am delighted that having these celebrations in Mogadishu is becoming a tradition and I see this as testimony to the growing bond between the EU and the Somali people and to the fact that Somalia has come a long way on its path to normalization. The European Union is and will continue to be a strong, cooperative and reliable partner.”
As Somalia's main partner, the EU provides more than half of all international assistance to the country. As a sign of the EU's continued commitment to the country, Ambassador Lorenzo, the Somali Minister for Planning, Gamal Hassan, and the State Minister for Education, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdule, signed an agreement to further expand the support that the EU provides to the Somali education sector, with an additional € 49 million of funding.
Since 2008 the EU has invested over € 2.5 Billion in development, humanitarian and stabilisation support to Somalia, with the EU’s support cutting across sectors throughout the country and includes support for security, education, state building and governance. The EU has also made considerable investments in resilience and support for livelihoods.
The EU and EU Member States' response to this year's drought amounts to over €450 million.
During the Europe Day event, EU NAVFOR’s flagship, ESPS Galicia could be viewed sailing off the coast of Mogadishu.
The Somali Government’s House of the People Speaker and acting President, Mohamed, Osman Jawari, was invited to attend the Europe Day reception as the EU Ambassador’s chief guest.
This year's Europe Day celebrations coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Rome Treaties that laid the foundations for the European Union of today. The EU is also celebrating the 30th anniversary of the ERASMUS student exchange programme, which is considered by many to be one of the most successful EU programmes. Several Somali students have received scholarships under the ERASMUS Mundus programme for post-graduate students from outside Europe.
Speaking during the reception, Ambassador Lorenzo said “I am delighted that having these celebrations in Mogadishu is becoming a tradition and I see this as testimony to the growing bond between the EU and the Somali people and to the fact that Somalia has come a long way on its path to normalization. The European Union is and will continue to be a strong, cooperative and reliable partner.”
As Somalia's main partner, the EU provides more than half of all international assistance to the country. As a sign of the EU's continued commitment to the country, Ambassador Lorenzo, the Somali Minister for Planning, Gamal Hassan, and the State Minister for Education, Abdirahman Mohamed Abdule, signed an agreement to further expand the support that the EU provides to the Somali education sector, with an additional € 49 million of funding.
Since 2008 the EU has invested over € 2.5 Billion in development, humanitarian and stabilisation support to Somalia, with the EU’s support cutting across sectors throughout the country and includes support for security, education, state building and governance. The EU has also made considerable investments in resilience and support for livelihoods.
The EU and EU Member States' response to this year's drought amounts to over €450 million.
During the Europe Day event, EU NAVFOR’s flagship, ESPS Galicia could be viewed sailing off the coast of Mogadishu.