EU hails partnership with Malawi
The European Union (EU) Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee chairperson David McAllister says his committee has high consideration for Malawi’s ambitious political and economic reform agenda which is key to a prosperous future.
Briefing the media in Lilongwe yesterday at the end of their two-day visit, he said the EU values its partnership with Malawi and other African countries, particularly at a time when democracy is declining worldwide.
During the committee’s mission to Malawi, McAllister, who led a delegation of four EU legislators, said they had fruitful meetings with President Lazarus Chakwera, Speaker of Parliament Catherine Gotani Hara, chairpersons of parliamentary committees, civil society representatives and other government officials.
He said: “In particular, we noted the steps taken by Malawi to strengthen its economy among increasing external pressures, including the newly secured IMF Extended Credit Facility.
“We also underlined the EU’s support for Malawi’s fight against corruption. Let me assure you of our continued encouragement and EU financial support in the framework of our bilateral cooperation programme.”
McAllister observed that in times of direct attacks on and the decline of democracy worldwide, working together with partners in Africa that share similar values is paramount.
“We travelled to Malawi in recognition of our long-standing partnership and to discuss how we can continue deepening our political and multilateral cooperation,” he said.
McAllister said some of the topics discussed during the two-day visit were the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Palestine conflict, the EU-Africa relations, EU-African parliamentary cooperation, and EU support, including under the Global Gateway.
He said the EU was working to cushion Malawi from the challenges by allocating 15 million euro to combat food insecurity and grow its economy.
In a separate interview, Malawi Parliament spokesperson Ian Mwenye described the committee’s visit to Parliament as a courtesy call aimed at discussing what has been happening to strengthen their existing relationship.
Commenting on the visit, EU Ambassador Rune Skinnebach said it has contributed towards further deepening the long-standing EU-Malawi partnership, including the parliamentary dimension.
From December 20 to 21, the delegation will be in Lusaka, Zambia, to meet with government officials.
This is the committee’s third visit to Africa during the current legislative term. The committee visited Sudan and Ethiopia in September 2022 and went to The Gambia and Senegal in April 2023.
