On Tuesday 22 June 2021, Professor Filiga Michel SAWADOGO was received by Wolfram VETTER, Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Burkina Faso, together with his staff.

The meeting is part of a series of introductory visits to the technical and financial partners based in Ouagadougou, which he began as soon as he took office as the new Commissioner in charge of the Department of Regional Market and Cooperation. Its aim is to strengthen cooperation with the Commission of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU).

During the discussions, Commissioner SAWADOGO and Ambassador VETTER praised the quality and depth of the partnership between the two institutions.

The meeting also covered:

• the impact of the health and security crisis on project implementation;
• the extension or reallocation of resources for the hardest-hit projects;
• the start of the programming process for the European Union’s new cooperation instrument;
• the reforms undertaken by the Commission to implement the recommendations of the EU pillar assessment effectively.

The two parties agreed to hold a technical meeting in the coming days to review the portfolio of projects between the Commission and the European Union.

The discussions focused mainly on the security situation in the Greater Sahel region and its impact on development initiatives. They also covered the need, given the changing context, to strengthen the partnership between the two institutions in a renewed format following the end of French budget support.