The EU, Eritrea and a “Bribe” to Close the Migration Leaks

Brussels |16 December 2015 | EU

The EU Emergency Trust Fund (the “Bribe”)

EU has today announced new decisions to manage migration better and address the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement. This includes a package of 10 actions for an amount of €253 million in the Horn of Africa, decided today by the first Operational Committee meeting of the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, set-up at record speed to respond to the challenges of instability, irregular migration and forced displacement. Further Operational Committee meetings will be held as of the beginning of 2016 to decide on new actions.

Due to ongoing unprecedented levels of irregular migration, the EU Trust Fund has been created to support the most fragile and affected African countries. The Trust Fund aims to help foster stability in the regions to respond to the challenges of irregular migration and displacement and to contribute to better migration management. More specifically, it will help address the root causes of destabilisation, displacement and irregular migration, by promoting economic and equal opportunities, security and development.

EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, said: “The adoption of the five-pillar action plan at the Valletta Summit on migration was a major first step towards a renewed partnership with African countries to address migration, mobility and forced displacement through concrete action. Today we are taking the second step, showing the real work has started. The fast-tracked approval of today’s new projects proves that this is not business as usual”.

Eritrea

After a number of years of socio-economic progress, the 1998-2000 border war with Ethiopia not only claimed tens of thousands of lives, but also disrupted Eritrea’s economic and political development momentum. EU development cooperation in Eritrea strives to improve the living conditions of the people and to support a drive for reforms.

The majority of EU development funding to Eritrea is financed by the European Development Fund with the objective of promoting activities for the direct benefit of the population with tangible results, such as the creation of job opportunities and the improvement of living conditions in the country.

The cycle of 2016-2020 amounts to €200 million. It will focus on energy and governance. An improved energy sector should help to improve access to social services, offer better opportunities for economic development and support the development of agriculture. Governance actions focus on one hand on economic governance and on the other hand the implementation of agreed recommendations of the UN Universal periodic reviews.

Under the previous cycle of funding from 2009-2013, the EU dedicated €53.7 million to programmes in Eritrea, targeting mainly the focal sector of food security and rural development. One particular project of €40 million euros focused on agriculture with an emphasis on energy, to develop irrigated agriculture and reinforce food security. For instance, as shown in the picture above, where better access to energy is helping to support a milk cooling station, milk quality is improved with a limited risk of diseases, and it can be kept fresh for longer. This creates an impact on food security as well as the quality of nutrition.

Furthermore, Eritrea can be the beneficiary of actions under the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, in particular related to the improvement of economic opportunities for youth through training and employment generation, as well as support for migration management.

Additional support to Eritrea is channelled through other EU initiatives, in particular the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights and Energy Facility. For example, an 8 million euros solar energy programme will support the creation of mini grids, providing electricity in remote areas and therefore supporting the development of social services and economic activities.

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