European Commission adopts €17.5 million anti-landmine programme

On 9 March 2006, the European Commission has adopted its 2006 Annual Work Programme for antipersonnel landmines with a budget of € 17.5 million. The general objective of this programme is to assist countries suffering the consequences of antipersonnel landmines and to create the conditions necessary for their economic and social development. The focus countries in 2006 are Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Cambodia, Georgia, Yemen, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Afghanistan and Kosovo. The work programme announced today is part of the EC Mine Action Strategy which is supported by € 60 million in the years 2005-7.

Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner said: "Landmines are a terrible blight on post conflict communities and an impediment to reconstruction of the country. It is crucial to eliminate this aftermath of war as quickly as possible, so that those affected, particularly the victims, women and children, can move on and begin to build for a safer and more prosperous future."

The main priorities in the 2006 Work Programme are the marking, fencing and clearance of mines and reduction of stockpiles; mine risk education; support to facilities for mine victims and reintegration of mine victims into their communities; building up the capacity of local and regional authorities to tackle landmines in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

Beneficiary countries have been selected on the basis of 6 enumerated criteria: commitment to the Mine Ban Treaty (MBT or Ottawa Convention), high humanitarian and developmental needs, strategic importance for EU, sustainability and coherence with wider assistance, proven commitment of non-states parties to mine action and the principles of the MBT, efficiency and effectiveness of the local/national mine action planning and programmes.

The 2006 Work Programme proposes a €12 million budget to co-finance operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia, Cambodia, Georgia, Yemen, Sudan, and Democratic Republic of Congo through calls for proposals to be launched by the European Commission Delegations in those countries.

A further €5.5 million will be approved by the Commission later in the year to cover targeted projects in Afghanistan, Burundi and Kosovo, together with some global projects.

For more information on EU activities against landmines see:

http://europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid/projects/mines/projects_en.htm

http://europa.eu.int/comm/external_relations/mine/intro/index.htm

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• Speech by Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner - A World without Landmines (6/7/2005)