The European Union (EU) has announced the opening of an EU Delegation office to Somalia. The announcement was made on Sunday in Mogadishu during celebrations to mark Europe Day and follows the signing of an Establishment Agreement between the President of Somalia H.E Hassan Sheikh Mohamoud and the EU Head of Delegation in Somalia Mr. Michele Cervone d’Urso. The agreement formalizes the presence of EU in Somalia and in essence paves way for more European countries to open up embassies in Mogadishu. “Today is a special day. It is Europe Day, so we wanted to move beyond words, to concrete deeds. So we signed an agreement to show that we are the biggest donor but want to be more than that. We want to be present in Somalia and want to open a delegation in Somalia,” Cervone d’Urso said.

As one of Somalia’s biggest donor, the European Union shut its office in Somalia in the flareup of war more than two decades ago. The move to reopen its office follows major improvements in security due to the intervention by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and the Somalia National Army (SNA), who have together neutralized and pushed out Al-Shabaab militants except in marginal areas. Speaking during Europe Day celebrations, attended by among others, top military officials and members of the diplomatic corp, President Mohamoud hailed the partnership between Somalia and the European Union. He said, “The EU since independence has always been a major partner of development and today after 25 years of being in a difficult situation still is”, and thanked the EU for its commitment to rebuild Somalia. He added, “Here in Somalia we have never questioned and we are in no position to question at all the level of commitment the EU has on Somalia”.

Kasmaal information Center/Mogadishu Somalia