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The European Commission yesterday adopted six new measures costing more than €146 million in the Sahel region and the Lake Chad Basin. The measures were adopted under the Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, set up to address the root causes of instability, irregular migration and forced displacement in Africa.

The European Commission yesterday announced the adoption of six new measures to aid the Sahel region and the Lake Chad Basin under theEmergency Trust Fund for stability and addressing root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in Africa.

More than €146 million is to be allocated in order to improve the management of migration flows, bolster security in border areas, combat organised crime and create sustainable economic opportunities for young people.

Neven Mimica, Commissioner responsible for International Cooperation and Development, commented: ‘The new measures have a twofold objective: the aim is to create economic opportunities for the young so that they can find what they need in the places where they live. The objective is also to strengthen border management and efforts to combat the criminal networks that underlie the shocking business of trafficking in all its forms. For both objectives, we need and we are counting on the strong commitment of our African partners.’

The measures will reinforce support for domestic security forces and border management in the main areas of instability. They are part of a comprehensive response by the European Union and are the fruit of an enhanced political dialogue with its partners on the issue of migration.

Five countries in the region will receive this assistance through an integrated approach that reflects the complexity of migration and the diversity of the challenges in the region.

The adoption of 30 actions in January 2016 for a total of €382 million (€100 million in January and €280 million in April), to which another €146 million was added yesterday, confirms that the Fund can provide a rapid and closely targeted response to the challenges of the region, and complement other EU actions. The Operational Committee also offered an opportunity to discuss the operational framework for identifying future priorities.

For more information

• MEMO/16/2168: Description of the six new measures adopted to tackle the root causes of irregular migration and displaced persons in the Sahel region and Lake Chad Basin.

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