According to Angop, the donation, which has been announced several times in recent months, will from now on be made available for implementation over the next 36 months, under a protocol signed by the Minister of Economy and Planning, Sérgio Santos, and the ambassador and head of the EU delegation in Angola, Jeannette Seppen.
The donation is made under the budget support modality, and should cover projects for the reconversion of the economy and informal transportation, and part of the funding will serve to improve conditions in the sectors of higher education and technical professional training, trade and agriculture.
In September, the two parties announced in a statement issued after the 5th ministerial meeting between Angola and the EU that they intend to hold, in the first half of 2021, a "high level business event", intending to bring together entrepreneurs and authorities to "discuss improvements in trade and investment.
In the communiqué, the two parties also demonstrated their intentions to "initiate exploratory dialogues on an investment agreement between the EU and Angola," supported by the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European organization and member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC, in English).
Representatives from both sides showed interest in working for peace and security, and the EU representatives praised "the important role of Angola" in SADC, the Economic Community of Central African States (EECAC), the Great Lakes International Conference and for cooperation in the Gulf of Guinea.
During the meeting, the EU announced that a package of up to 20 million euros is being prepared to support the socio-economic response to the covid-19 pandemic in the country, including economic formalisation, after it was announced in July by the then EU Ambassador to Angola, Tomas Ulciny.
