Two European Investment Bank reports highlight solutions for development challenges and the importance of partnership with Africa

The European Investment Bank (www.EIB.org) today releases its vision for working with Africa and a set of expert ideas about the future of development.

The two new publications were formally launched by EIB President Werner Hoyer and Vice President Thomas Östros earlier today, ahead of the European Development Days.

The first publication, A Partnership with Africa: How the European Investment Bank delivers on EU policies in Africa and our future plans for development and partnership across the continent, lays out plans by the EU bank for greater impact in its projects in Africa.

The second, Global Solutions, International Partnerships: The European Investment Bank Development Report 2021, is built around expert essays that provide new ideas to answer today’s global development challenges. It is the first time the world’s biggest multilateral financial institution has published a vision for its African deals or a comprehensive report on its €10 billion annual development lending.

The European Investment Bank is one of the largest providers of climate finance in the world and has committed to support €1 trillion in climate and environmental investment over the next decade. The EU bank also works with African partners in innovation, small and medium-sized enterprises and infrastructure. Last year, the EIB signed €5 billion in loans in Africa.

The EIB is the only multilateral finance institution exclusively owned by the EU and works closely with other EU institutions (https://bit.ly/2RTwr8r) to support EU policies in over 140 countries around the world. The bank is a key part of the EU toolbox that for decades has helped make the partnership between Africa and Europe stronger. It aims to maximise the impact of every investment, so that it can join its African partners in addressing today’s critical challenges together and embrace the opportunities presented by the continent’s economic transformation.

A Partnership with Africa lays out the EIB’s track record in Africa and illustrates how the EIB believes it can deliver better in the years ahead. It is an account of a solid partnership between the European Commission and the EIB, as well as with the full range of European and international development finance institutions and other stakeholders, such as the United Nations Development Programme, to create profound impact on the ground. To understand what that impact will mean for the lives of Africans, read A Partnership with Africa.

The first comprehensive report on the EIB’s work outside the European Union, Global Solutions, International Partnerships: The European Investment Bank Development Report 2021, provides insights into the EIB’s initiatives in all regions around the world that are of priority to the European Union, as well as data and insights on their impact and ideas for their contribution to an enhanced European architecture for development through a series of expert essays.

The climate crisis and COVID-19 remind us that solutions must be global. From the loss of education to the impact on businesses, jobs, and the flow of finance for development, the EIB Development Report reinforces why development finance backing from the European Union is more important than ever in the light of the pandemic.

The report’s expert content addresses key development policy questions, including:

• How to calculate climate change risk?
• How to fight climate change with gender equality?
• How to rehabilitate forests destroyed to produce chocolate?
• How to counter the water crisis in developing countries?
• How equity can finance innovative business models in Africa?

For more information and to download the full reports, go to:

A Partnership with Africa: How the European Investment Bank delivers on EU policies in Africa and our future plans for development and partnership across the continent https://bit.ly/3xe5viy

Global Solutions, International Partnerships: The European Investment Bank Development Report 2021 https://bit.ly/3pQwIW8
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of European Investment Bank (EIB).
Press contacts: Richard Willis r.willis@eib.org tel.: +352 43 79 82155 Mobile:  +352 621 55 57 58 Website: www.EIB.org/press

Press Office: +352 4379 21000 press@eib.org

Twitter: https://bit.ly/3xbSDto Facebook: https://bit.ly/3vnHwfm Instagram: https://bit.ly/2RW97XE YouTube: https://bit.ly/3gk7Brt RSS: https://bit.ly/3giqmvA LinkedIn: https://bit.ly/3gqSGuA

Background information: The European Investment Bank (EIB) is the long-term lending institution of the European Union owned by its Member States. It makes long-term finance available for sound investment in order to contribute towards EU policy goals.

It is time to change Europe ‘s view of Palestine European Union

The recent escalation in Israel-Palestine has once again turned the world’s attention to the 53-year-old occupation of Israel and the systemic violations of the most basic human rights of the Palestinian people. He also made it clear that the European Union’s long-standing strategies for ending the conflict and pursuing its interests in the Middle East are not working and may worsen.

On May 21, a fragile ceasefire led to 11 days of Israeli bombing on the besieged Gaza Strip and Hamas fired a rocket at Israeli cities, but there is little room for celebration. is corrected. To avoid another devastating confrontation, European governments must radically change course. They should take a new approach based on international law and multilateralism and go on to demand accountability from both sides.

The repetition of the old mantras of support for both states and the demand for two basic asymmetrical sides to conduct fair negotiations will not lead to progress. Trying to isolate Hamas or embark on another effort to rebuild Gaza would also not provide a lasting solution. It is doomed to fail in any effort that does not take into account the overall picture of the Israeli occupation and the structural violence against millions of Palestinians. Approaches that try to alleviate symptoms without curing the disease will not provide greater security and stability for either Israelis or Palestinians.

Therefore, any European efforts by Israel and Palestine should first address the discrimination and protection of the resulting states and the resulting discrimination.

The responsibility for the latest crisis lies largely with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. During his 12 years in power, Netanyahu has consistently pursued divisive policies that have achieved nothing more than sparking nationalist sentiments and igniting ethnic and religious tensions in Israel. And last month, after four concluding elections to fight in the polls and investigate corruption, he decided to exploit long-standing tensions in the Occupied East of Jerusalem to reorganize political power, in a desperate attempt to stay in power. Instead of holding back violent settlers, the Israeli prime minister has long deployed security forces to disperse unarmed Palestinians to protest against the spread of solutions and violations of other rights at Sheikh Jarrah and Al Aqsa mosques. and violence.

And so it was when Hamas quickly joined. Taking advantage of the mild reaction to this latest episode of the Israeli attack by Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas Ramallah, Hamas used the crisis to present itself as the vanguard of the Palestinian resistance. He began firing rockets at Israeli cities, generating condemnation from the international community.

But Hamas rocket fire cannot be directed in isolation. The group’s actions can only be understood and effectively addressed if they are put in the context of a serious humanitarian crisis affecting more than two million Palestinians currently living in Gaza. The years-long blockades of Israel and Egypt in the Palestinian enclave and the indifference of the international community have certainly led us to this latest escalation.

Although clearly debatable and ultimately self-defeating for the Palestinian cause, we cannot ignore why support for armed resistance is growing throughout occupied Palestine. To date, the PA’s efforts to resolve the conflict diplomatically have yielded poor results, with very little change in the lives of Palestinians. Thus, more and more Palestinians see resistance — armed or not — as the only solution.

The main responsibility for this lies once again with Netanyahu, who has repeatedly thwarted diplomatic efforts, including the Oslo Accords, which he has personally worked to dismantle since the mid-1990s.

However, the responsibility of the United States and Europe cannot be ignored either.

Decades of unchallenged U.S. aid and military aid – now at more than $ 3.8 billion a year – have effectively inflated Israel’s sense of impunity, rather than exacerbated its risk of peace risks. As an example, there are the shamelessness of Israeli settlers attacking unarmed Palestinian protesters and occupying Palestinian homes live on television and with military escorts. These actions are a testament to Israel’s apartheid-shaped ethnic discrimination system, as recently highlighted by Human Rights Watch and many other Israeli and international organizations.

Since tensions have continued since the ceasefire was announced, it is urgent to deal with this grim reality.

Netanyahu is now stepping down, but those willing to replace him, like a large part of the Israeli establishment, cannot be peacefully described as a “peace partner”. The EU-led international community should acknowledge this fact and stop providing diplomatic coverage to divisive, destructive and illegal policies and actions against Palestinian Israelis.

Hundreds of years of using carrots to appease Israel’s concerns have failed in hopes that a safer and more confident Israel would make peace concessions. Nowadays, with regard to Israeli law in international law, sticks need to be employed, similar to the pressure that Palestinians have had to exert moderation and turn to diplomacy.

The final round of fighting should serve as a wake-up call for the EU. As day-to-day violence continues in occupied Palestine, despite decades of diplomatic efforts, the EU has acknowledged its commitment to human rights and fundamental freedoms because of the inseparable components of its identity.

The ongoing occupation is a harsh reminder of the failure of a 30-year peace process actively supported by the US and Europe. Billions have been invested in the European Union to support the development of Palestinian state institutions. This support has not exceeded expectations for peace. Nor has it given Europe a well-known diplomatic role in the U.S.-dominated peace process. Similarly, while the EU represents Israel’s first trading partner, Europe has been reluctant to turn this into political leverage, even though Israeli actions have been routinely condemned by the EU. Meanwhile, member states have had an active Israeli tribunal, stepping up bilateral trade, arms sales and high-tech cooperation, raising the EU’s leverage and consensus on the conflict.

In the face of this, it is becoming increasingly common for EU aid to the Palestinians and increasing trade with Israel to become complicit in financing the occupation of the occupation. While this aid helps save lives, pay salaries and direct basic services in occupied Palestine, it is clear that it cannot be a substitute for political action to end the occupation. If it is serious about strategic autonomy, the EU must muster the courage to rediscover an Israeli-Palestinian political mission, even if it means breaking old taboos – that is, reviewing a policy unrelated to Hamas or examining conditions as well as specific sanctions. see Israel and settlements.

A few decades after the US leadership continued in the Middle East, the time has come for Europe to work on its level of independence from Washington, especially with regard to Israel-Palestine. Continuing with the regular business will not lead to lasting peace. Instead, it will only delay the next inevitable conflict, while also eroding the credibility of the EU and the US and a broader system based on international norms supported by both actors.

Only by reaffirming the role of the United Nations and taking into account violations of international law will future conflicts be avoided. By taking real equality between Israel and the Palestinians and dealing directly with the final status issues (settlements, Jerusalem, refugees, borders and natural resources), diplomacy will finally yield results in favor of a fantastic status quo that serves only as a cover. Israel’s impunity and continued annexation of the Palestinian territories.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the attitude of Al Jazeera’s editorial.

First bond sale backing EU recovery fund imminent – EU Commission

By Yoruk Bahceli

(Reuters) – The first bond sale to finance the European Union’s coronavirus recovery fund is expected “imminently”, the European Commission said in an investor meeting on Tuesday.

The EU last week sent a request to 11 of its primary dealer banks inviting them to submit proposals for the transaction and the deal is expected in the “coming days”, Niall Bohann, a director of the European Commission’s budget directorate, said at the meeting.

The EU will sell up to 800 billion euros of bonds under the programme to finance grants and loans to member states, building on around 90 billion euros of issuance backing the SURE unemployment scheme, a different support programme, since last October.

Some 80 billion euros of issuance is expected in 2021.

The EU will establish its green bond framework by September to underpin its issuance in that format, Christian Engelen, another funding official, said.

Up to 30% of the recovery fund debt will be issued through green bonds, which finance environmentally beneficial expenditures, in a major boost to the fast-growing market.

Following the debut deal, the EU will by the end of July sell another two bonds via syndication, where a borrower hires investment banks to sell the debt directly to end investors, it said in a funding programme last week.

It will then establish a bills programme for short-dated borrowing and start selling debt via auctions in September, where dealers purchase the debt and sell it onto investors, the more common way governments raise debt.

(Reporting by Yoruk Bahceli, editing by Karin Strohecker and Raissa Kasolowsky)

European Union to crown winner in EU Corona fight competition

Accra, June 7, GNA – The European Union (EU) in Ghana will award the winner of the ‘EU Fight Corona Together Art Competition’ at St.

Mary’s Girls’ R/C Basic, Korle Gonno in Accra.

The competition is an online event initiated by the European Union Delegation to Ghana as part of its “EU and Ghana Green and Healthy Together” project.

It seeks to create awareness on COVID-19 protocols and the circular economy in 25 schools throughout Accra Metropolitan Assembly and close collaboration with Ghana Education Service.

This was in a statement from the office of the EU and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

The competition, which started in March, allowed students within the Greater Accra metro area to upcycle waste, such as plastics and textiles, into art that communicates COVID-19 safety protocols.

The competition was done in three rounds with a different theme expressed each week.

Themes throughout the competition included, “Wash Your Hands,” “Wear Your Mask” and “Maintain Social Distance”.

The statement said each week, schools produced art projects that were uploaded online to the EU Facebook and Instagram page for the general public to vote.

It said schools that gained the most votes moved to the next round of the competition until only five schools remained.

The final winner was chosen by a committee that consisted of a member of the EU Delegation, Environment360 and Ghana Education Service.

Madam Diana Acconcia, the Ambassador of the EU in Ghana, was impressed by the creativity of students during the art competition and stated that the European Union would continue to support Ghana in the fight against COVID-19 and the growth of the circular economy.

“The EU will remain committed to create awareness on the promotion of a more sustainable and circular economy. This is not the first initiative in schools and it will not be the last.

“The EU will launch a circular economy contest in schools at the beginning of 2022. We expect to have schools all over Ghana participating in this innovative initiative,” she said.

The project, which is being implemented by Environment360, a local NGO specialized in creating circular programmes and campaigns in schools and communities, would be followed by a donation of compost bins to the 25 schools.

The EU Delegation, as part of the programme, also previously donated handwashing stations and recycling bins to chosen schools as well.

Mrs Cordie Aziz-Nash, the Founder and Executive Director of Environment360, believed the impact the project competition had made in the schools would go a long way to promote good waste management practices.

“Environment360 is happy to see the successful implementation of the second phase of this EU led programme. I strongly believe that the skills that the children have gained during the art competition will encourage the children to see waste as a resource, while also helping them internalize key COVID-19 protocols,” she said.

The EU Green and Healthier School programme is a year-long programme, implemented by Environment360, which seeks to mitigate the risk of COVID-19 in schools and support circular education.

Russian President, President of the European Council discuss situation in Nagorno Karabakh

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS. President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of the European Council Charles Michel discussed the issue of Nagorno Karabakh, emphasizing the importance of the implementation of the statements adopted by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, ARMENPRESS reports, citing Ria Novosti, the press service of the Kremlin informed.‘’The unblocking of regional economic and transport infrastructures, the solution of the humanitarian issues of the people are among the priority issues. Charles Michel expressed solidarity with the works being carried out, including the works carried out through the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair countries (Russia, USA and France)’’, reads the statement.

Kyiv seeks European Union support to revive war-ravaged businesses in eastern Ukraine

Kyiv is proposing a multi-billion dollar investment plan for towns and businesses along the conflict line with Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, hoping to show its citizens that siding with the West brings prosperity.According to a presentation to European Union officials in Brussels on May 28, reviewed by Reuters, the Kyiv government wants an “economic transformation” of the areas of the industrial regions of Donetsk and Luhansk not in separatist hands.

The cost of reviving the region is likely to be around $20 billion, according to a 2016 report by the Atlantic Council think-tank. The Ukrainian presentation did not detail figures but said it would help reintegrate the regions into the economy.

Backed by Moscow, separatists seized territory in eastern Ukraine after pro-Western protests in February 2014 and Russia annexed Crimea a month later.

Kyiv wants to set up a trust fund run by an international institution to attract a consortium of investors to spend cash on areas from transportation to agriculture. It will also seek to bring together donor money and cash to cover administration costs, the presentation said.

Investors would enjoy tax breaks, while Kyiv’s Western supporters would also see the benefits of reforming a region known for its outdated Soviet economy of monolithic factories.

The strategy to end prolonged power outrages, high unemployment, pollution and rebuild destroyed roads and airports is risky, however. A 2015 peace agreement and subsequent ceasefires have not led to an end in fighting.

Kyiv estimates the conflict has killed 14,000 people since 2014. Moscow massed some 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders with Russia last month, according to the EU. Not all troops have been withdrawn and Russian military equipment remains in the area, Ukraine and the United States say. The strategy could also cement a new de-facto Ukrainian border along the contact line, potentially ceding territory to Russia.

A special OSCE ceasefire monitoring mission recorded more than 20 explosions on Wednesday along the contact line between Ukrainian and separatist forces that runs northeast from the Azov Sea.

But Ukrainian officials say that violations of the ceasefire by rebels with snipers and shells do not reach beyond about 2 kilometres (1.24 miles) into Ukraine-held territory.

European Union to ban Belarus overflights from midnight, diplomats say

European Parliament Prepares for Its First Post-pandemic Session in France

Hundreds of European lawmakers and staff travel to Strasbourg next week for the European Parliament‘s first session since the COVID-19 pandemic struck, though many think it is too early to return.

Temperature checks, masks, a French curfew and multiple health tests await them, with a mandatory quarantine upon their return to Belgium if they are away for more than 48 hours.

Rasa Jukneviciene, a Lithuanian centre-right lawmaker, said in a letter to David Sassoli, president of the assembly, that the return to Strasbourg is too hasty and put staff at risk.

Under EU law, parliament must hold 12 sessions per year in the French city, but it last decamped in February 2020. Critics complain at the 114 million euro (8.5 million) per year cost, but the city and French President Emmanuel Macron have long sought the lawmakers’ return.

Around 2,500 people typically travel from their Brussels bases for three-and-a-half days per month to debate and vote on draft laws.

EU parliament president Sassoli, has declared “force majeure” during the pandemic to hold the assembly in Brussels, but determined that the improving health situation and acceleration of vaccinations no longer justified this.

Still, many lawmakers will be able to “attend” the session remotely and the parliament‘s secretariat will only send one third of the people who would normally go. Most staff, in any case, are advised to work primarily from home.

In France there is still  9 p.m. curfew which means there will be no late meetings or drinks and all meals should be eaten outside./msn

President of European Council calls President Aliyev

President of European Council Charles Michel called President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

During the conversation, the sides hailed the development of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union. Both sides said they attach great importance to this cooperation. The cooperation in the field of energy security, as well as the completion of the Southern Gas Corridor project were noted with satisfaction.

The sides discussed issues of ensuring security and stability in the region following the trilateral statement signed by the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia on November 10, 2020.

President of the European Council Charles Michel affirmed the EU’s readiness to support the process of delimitation and demarcation of the borders between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as confidence-building measures between the two countries. Charles Michel called on both sides to cooperate on detainees, mines and other humanitarian issues in full transparency.

President Ilham Aliyev underlined that Azerbaijan is ready to start negotiations with Armenia to sign a peace agreement, saying however, Armenia has not yet responded to this call. European Council President Charles Michel called on both sides to conduct negotiations in a constructive atmosphere.

During the telephone conversation, both sides expressed their interest in ensuring peace and security in the South Caucasus. They also stressed the importance of the European Union’s Eastern Partnership program and exchanged views on the upcoming summit in this regard.

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