[European Aid] SA to get euros to help fight poverty

from I Africa

The executive arm of the European Union — the European Commission (EC) — is in the process of approving more than R1 billion a year to fight poverty in South Africa over the next seven years.

A joint press release issued by the government and the EC on Thursday said that an amount similar to the R5-billion allocated for the past three years was being finalised for the period 2007 to 2013.

This week, an EC delegation reviewed the European Programme for Reconstruction and Development (EPRD) in South Africa.

"The programme, made up of EC grants in excess of R1-billion annually, is the largest programme of its kind in South Africa," said EC delegation spokesperson Frank Oberholzer.

"It is complemented by a similar amount available in European Investment Bank loans for infrastructure and industrial development."

The government and the EC said the EPRD mid-term review, completed earlier this year, would be an important item on the agenda of the ministerial level Joint Co-operation Council meeting scheduled for November, in Brussels.