Dear European citizens,
Members of the Media
Dear guests,
All protocol duly and respectfully observed,
Let me start by expressing my sincere pleasure for visiting The Gambia and being present tonight with all of you, partners and friends to celebrate Europe Day.
Thank you, Honourable Minister Tangara and all members of the government, for welcoming me in your beautiful country.
Thank you to all EU Member States and esteemed guests for joining us. Your presence tonight means a lot to us.
I will take this opportunity to share a few remarks on three topics:
First, on the significance of Europe Day in the context of a changing European Union, in a changing world.
Secondly, I want to take stock of some of the achievements and joint challenges in our EU-Gambia partnership.
Thirdly, as we celebrate this year the 25th anniversary of the African Union – European Union partnership, I want to reflect on this key partnership in a time when multilateralism is being increasingly threatened across the globe.
Europe day & a changing Europe in a changing world
Around the 9th of May, our “Europe Day”, we pay a tribute to the “Schuman declaration” referring to the 9 of May of 1950 when The French Minister of Foreign Affairs Robert Schuman set out the political vision of pooling the coal and steel production of France and Germany, hence elements used to produce weapons. This would make war between historic rivals France and Germany “not merely unthinkable, but materially impossible”.
Joined by Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands, this idea led to the European Coal and Steel Community. The prevailing view was to start with an economic cooperation first, before engaging in a broader political cooperation.
This first community initiated an area of decades of peace inside the EU borders and laid the foundation of today’s European Union: a community based on economic and political freedoms, upholding high standards of democratic values and principles, as well as a community of sovereign States and citizens cooperating on a wide range of topics.
Today, 75 years later, the core principles and values live on but we all acknowledge that the world has changed and that today’s situation calls for adaptations both inside the European Union and, from a geopolitical perspective, in relation with the outside world.
The world is changing rapidly and is becoming more fragmented. We may regret it, but we have to acknowledge it: international cooperation has turned into global competition. The EU is adapting to these new political realities; not as a passive witness but strategically, by adjusting with concrete actions shaping some of these global changes.
Europe has been, is and remains a peace project, but “peace without defence is an illusion” to quote the President of the European Council Antonio Costa. The European Union is stepping up its security and defence capabilities and, to achieve this goal, is closely cooperating with partners and friends around the world.
Within our Union, we are building resilience, ensuring competitiveness of our economy while implementing our digital transformation and our green transition, alongside an ambitious climate agenda.
How does it relate to our relationship with our partner countries outside the European Union? Well, to be a strong and reliable partner across the world, we do indeed have to be strong at home first.
The Gambia – European Union partnership
Is the area we entered meaning that we have to become reclusive, mainly inward looking? Certainly not! The European Union remains engaged around the world. To address global challenges the key remains to find joint solutions and to build robust and long-lasting partnerships. On the international stage we need to cooperate and respect common agreed rules. For this reason, it is vital to uphold multilateralism and an International Rules based order by abiding to the United Nations institutions and Charter. Both The Gambia and the European Union are aligned in defending and promoting these principles without which there can be no peace, security and global prosperity.
Today, in particular, we honour and celebrate a close partnership – a friendship actually – that brings together The Gambia, the European Union and its 27 Members States.
While we were partners before, it was the democratic transition in 2017 that opened a new and promising chapter in the country’s path and in our cooperation.
The Gambia has established itself as a beacon of democracy and human rights, a beacon of hope for the wider region and actually the whole world. This status is a privilege for which you worked hard and which comes with a lot of responsibilities as your citizens, and the world, look up to you for delivering on the respect of human rights, high democratic rights and values, while also expecting continuous progress of a sustainable social and economic development that gives the youth, the majority of your population, hope for a better future.
It is to accompany and support your democratic vision and to strengthen The Gambia’s ambitious sustainable development agenda that since 2017 the EU has committed more than 500 million Euros for the country. This scale of support of our EU citizens and taxpayers is simply unprecedented but also proportionate to the significance of welcoming The Gambia back in the democratic family.
These efforts targeted the sustainable socio-economic development, transitional justice, the security sector reform and democratic governance.
Let me here underline that when we mention the EU and its support, we refer to the budget to which all 27 Member States contribute. The technical and financial assistance provided by the EU comes as grant funding provided by the citizens of all European Union Member States and their governments. On top of it, we have to add the bilateral cooperation of the Member States. Some of the projects we implement here are actually implemented together in a “Team Europe” approach. In particular, we accompany the security sector with Germany or fight the smuggling of migrants together with Spain and Germany.
How does the near future look like?
2025 has already seen the launching of our EU-Youth Empowerment Programme. It is a programme that invests on the youth and women in the tourism and creative industries sectors, generating new opportunities and widening The Gambia brand as touristic destination.
We are finalising two very important programmes that will focus: one on food systems by enhancing horticulture value chains to produce more food in The Gambia for local consumption but also enhance the possibilities of exporting to other countries. The second programme, on senior secondary education is focusing on girls and women. Its objective is to reduce drops out and to increase the number of female teachers.
2025 will also witness the access to solar energy of more than 800 primary and secondary education schools and 100 health facilities; and the launching of a comprehensive programme to support The Gambia on managing migration. As partners, we will continue to enhance the fight against smugglers and traffickers to reduce the tragedy that costs the life of many Gambians in the sea; we will also continue to address the against root causes of migration as well as promoting legal pathways to Europe and protecting migrants and returnees.
Our global and collective engagement will be maintained, nurtured and strategically oriented for the next years. Allow me to make a crucial point in this regard.
The changes I referred to at the beginning of my remarks, will, as a matter of fact, also be reflected in our cooperation when we look at a medium-term horizon. We have started across the world to roll out The Global Gateway (GG) initiative. The latter encapsulates the shift of paradigm of the new EU cooperation.
The Global Gateway initiative aims to foster collaboration and connectivity between Europe and Africa, by identifying and tackling gaps in infrastructure investments. Through Global Gateway, the EU will support smart investments in quality infrastructure, respecting the highest social and environmental standards, in line with the EU’s values. The Global Gateway strategy is a template for how Europe can build more resilient connections with the world.
The Global Gateway will also be delivered by Team Europe efforts, meaning hand in hand with our Member States, and I want to use the opportunity to commend them for their mobilisation and shared vision.
To finish on our new strategic approach allow me to emphasise on two key words: joint interests and private sector.
To deliver on investments and sustainable economic growth, public financing is not enough, we need to mobilise the private sector. Part of our policy responsibilities is to create a conducive environment where enterprises can effectively work and create sustainable wealth and jobs.
Our aim is to address the needs and interests of our partner countries while at the same time promoting the EU’s own strategic interests.
With the support of European and international financial institutions, we need to develop partnerships between, on one hand, the public sector and, on the other hand, the Gambian and European private sectors.
The European Union in The Gambia will continue investing in our friendship, nurturing our joint values and interests and boosting our mutual growth.
African Union – European Union partnership
This year, we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the African Union – European Union partnership. In a few days, ministers from Africa and Europe will gather in Brussels for an important meeting which will pave the way for 7th EU-AU Summit that will be held later in the year in Africa.
In 2022, we renewed our partnership and adopted the vision 2030. This year, we will further strengthen our commitment to: Peace, Security and Governance; Prosperity; People – Migration and Mobility; and reformed Multilateralism.
All these priorities are very much aligned with the priorities of our partnership with Gambia.
EU and The Gambia political dialogue
Tomorrow, 9th of May, on the exact Europe Day, we will hold the partnership dialogue between the EU and The Gambian government. We will exchange on various policy matters and we will further strengthen dialogue between friends.
I want, to finish these remarks by thanking the President of The Gambia His Excellency Adama Barrow, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Mamadou Tangara and the entire government for hosting this dialogue. I am looking forward to review, with my team and colleagues of Member States all topics of mutual interest tomorrow with you.
In the meantime, let us all celebrate Europe and The Gambian – European Union partnership amongst friends.
Many thanks for your kind attention.
