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Rosen Plevneliev at the EU-Africa Forum: Without Peace There is no Prosperity

In the global world of today the EU and the African countries depend on each other and it is natural that they work together to meet the common challenges, President Rosen Plevneliev said today in the statement he made at the EU-Africa summit held in Brussels. The Head of State made his statement in the “Prosperity” section of the top-level meeting. Climate change, economic development, energy, water management and food production are common topics for all countries and they require pooling efforts to find lasting solutions, the Bulgarian President emphasized.

“There can be no prosperity without peace, nor prospects for economic development without educated young people and a favorable business environment,” Rosen Plevneliev said and called on the forum to focus its attention on the initiatives in support of peace, investments in education and improving the conditions for economic initiative.

Industrialization is important for the development of Africa and is a priority in Europe, Rosen Plevneliev added. In his words, this creates a lot of opportunities for increasing the investments in the African continent which would facilitate the activities of local companies and particularly of small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the major factor for creating jobs. “Africa has the ambition to increase food production and improve the management of its water and energy resources. These are the sectors in which a lot of Bulgarian companies have considerable experience and interest in working and investing in Africa,” Rosen Plevneliev pointed out.

The African countries would benefit a lot if they encourage their mutual trade and adopt the EU policies on the rule of law, the transparency of management and building a common market, the President further emphasized. Ensuring cohesion by building a modern transport infrastructure is a key condition for achieving economic prosperity and encouraging regional integration. BY implementing infrastructure projects not only the individual economies and regions are connected, but also the people, ideas and business circles, Rosen Plevneliev said. As necessary steps to achieve quicker integration the Head of State pinpointed stimulating sectors such as transport, management of water resources and energy, as well as the lifting of customs restrictions.  

The EU is one of the great donors of assistance for Africa’s development and a lot of European countries provide funds for and take part in projects aimed at reducing poverty on the continent, President Plevneliev further said. In the Head of State’s view, the EU should maintain this high level of support as well as encourage its cooperation with the recipient countries to achieve greater transparency and efficiency of the management of the allocated funds.

In his statement Rosen Plevneliev also recalled Bulgaria’s contribution to the development of a lot of countries in Africa by sharing experience and expertise in the healthcare sector, education and building infrastructure projects. “Some of the best Bulgarian medical doctors and engineers dedicated their life to the development of the African continent,” the Head of State recalled before the state and government leaders, participants in the summit.