BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, December 12, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The Council has today decided that the conditions have been fulfilled for the complete resumption of the European Union’s cooperation with the Republic of Guinea under the aegis of the Tenth European Development Fund.
The holding of parliamentary elections in the Republic of Guinea was the last milestone of the road map set out by the Council in July 20091concerning the conclusion of consultations with the Republic of Guinea under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement.
Following the military coup on 23 December 2008, the EU partially suspended development cooperation with Guinea. To accompany the return to constitutional order and democracy, a roadmap for gradual resumption of EU aid was set out.
The holding of inclusive and peaceful parliamentary elections on 28 September 2013 marked a very important step for the return to constitutional order and the consolidation of democracy in the Republic of Guinea and made it possible to lift the appropriate measures adopted by the European Union under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement.
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton said:
“I welcome the holding of these peaceful and inclusive elections and the imminent installation of the National Assembly. It is important that the Guinean authorities now commit themselves to wide-ranging discussions on the electoral framework with a view to speedy introduction of the reforms necessary for the forthcoming elections to be held. The new Assembly will provide an appropriate institutional framework for the organisation of this democratic debate between the different political parties.”
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Decision 2009/618/EC of 27 July 2009, repeatedly amended and extended, most recently by Council Decision 2013/386/EU of 15 July 2013.
A European Union electoral observation mission was in Guinea from 22 August 2013 and until the conclusion of the electoral dispute on 15 November 2013, with instructions to observe the course of the elections with complete impartiality and provide an overall assessment of the electoral process.
