President Van Rompuy meeting with PM of Ethiopia

WTO, and both the EU and Ethiopia have a common interest in stability and economic development of the Horn of Africa – these were among the key remarks by President of the Council of the EU, Herman Van Rompuy, after his meeting on 17 April with Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Hailemariam Desalegn, in Brussels.

The EU fully supports Ethiopia's efforts to join the

He said that the EU attaches great importance to the role Ethiopia plays to ensure peace and security in the Horn of Africa region.

Van Rompuy positively appreciated the country's progress in poverty reduction and Millennium Development Goals achievements, as well as the country's economic growth that is situated well above the Sub-Saharan Africa average.

At the same time, van Rompuy emphasized the importance the EU attaches to the respect of human rights in the region.

In addition, since Ethiopia holds the 2013 chairmanship of the African Union, the meeting also covered EU-African Union relations and, in particular, the preparation of the next EU-AU Summit in 2014.

Ethiopia and the EU have substantial economic and trade relations. The EU is the most important trade partner for Ethiopia with over 40% of Ethiopia's exports going to Europe. On the other hand, about 300 European companies are active in Ethiopia.

Source: Council of the EU