Ethiopia and EU Signs a Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility

ADDIS ABABA (HAN) November 13, 2015. Public Diplomacy & regional Security. Ethiopia and the EU signed a Joint Declaration for a Common Agenda on Migration and Mobility at the Valetta Summit on Wednesday (November 11) reflecting the importance of Ethiopia as a key country of origin, transit and destination of irregular migrants and refugees from the Horn of Africa.

The agenda was signed by Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, and Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Acting Council President on behalf of the EU and the Member States.

Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn signed for Ethiopia. Speaking about the EU-Ethiopia partnership and the reason for a focus on Ethiopia, European Commission President, Jean-Claude Juncker, said: “Ethiopia is the largest refugee-hosting country in Africa, accommodating over 733,000 refugees. Its Government needs and deserves EU support.

We need to work together to better manage these flows in full respect of human rights.” He went on to note that Ethiopia had shown a commitment to tackling human trafficking and people smuggling and described this as a positive sign for future cooperation this step, he said, was part of the much broader relationship that the EU was trying to build.”

Under this agenda, the EU and Ethiopia will cooperate on issues of international protection and refugee needs, legal migration and mobility, irregular migration, smuggling and trafficking in human beings and development policy for generally. Funding will be made available for the implementation of concrete activities, notably through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa. MFA