Just on the day on which the General Affairs and External Relations Council of the EU reached a political deal on a portfolio of 17 billion euros for the new fund for cooperation in development 2007-2013 (a sum that should be added to the over 22 billion euros already allocated for the ACP countries from 2008), the General Directorate for Development of the European Commission announced the imminent holding in Brussels of the first European Development Days (EDD). The event – due to be held from 13 to 17 November on the theme “Africa and the challenge of governance” – boasts a particularly prestigious list of participants: 16 African heads of state and of government, the President of the World Bank, the Directors of the UN Funds and Agencies for development, European Prime Ministers and Foreign Ministers, exponents of the African business community and representatives of scores of NGOs. There are three main objectives: raising awareness about development policies; reinforcing the effectiveness of EU measures in view of the entry into force of the new regulations and funds; and contributing to the achievement of the “Millennium Objectives”.
