EU delegation visits Yemen [Archives:2004/712/Local News]

Sana'a – A three-member delegation headed by Mario Mariani, Head of the Development Section at the European Commission Delegation in Amman, arrived in Sana'a on Sunday 15 Feb on a 10 -day working visit to Yemen. They will hold talks with senior Yemeni officials on all aspects of the program of cooperation. The delegation will also discuss progress in the implementation of the EU funded projects in Sana'a and Aden governorates.
The visit will provide an opportunity for the EU team to obtain first hand information on the various projects and to assess progress of work in each project, said Mario Mariani. The EU has allocated EURO 7 million to the project on strengthening priority areas of vocational training, which is nearing completion. The delegation will also visit another EU – funded irrigation project, being implemented in Tihama Barquqa at a total cost of EUR 7.3 million.
While in Aden, the delegation will visit an EURO 6.6 million water infrastructure project to assess progress in that project, which will be completed by the year 2005. The European Union is one of Yemen's most important partners in development cooperation. Over the last two years, the overall commitment of confessional resources from EU Member States and the European Community has reached EUR 105 million.
The EU Commitments to Yemen over the four years ending December 2000 amounted to EUR 132.5 million, representing almost 60 per cent of the total commitments since 1977, a clear illustration of the EU's increasing support to Yemen's economic and social development.
The EU is currently financing some 40 ongoing projects and programs in various stages of implementation, covering such areas as economic cooperation, development interventions, food security support, support to NGOs, and humanitarian aid.
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