Development MEPs on fact-finding visit to Zambia
A delegation of four MEPs from the Committee on Development will visit Lusaka and projects in the region alongside European Commissioner for International Partnerships Jutta Urpilainen.
The four-member delegation will be led by Committee on Development Vice-Chair Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana (Greens/EFA, DE), and will be in Zambia from 19-21 June.
The mission, undertaken jointly with Commissioner Urpilainen, will be first ‘Team Europe’ development mission involving both the Parliament and the Commission. While in Zambia, MEPs will focus on EU support in areas like education, agriculture, food security and climate resilience. They will also discuss issues around debt, the role of the private sector and the implementation of the EU’s "Global Gateway" initiative.
Across the three days, the MEPs together with Commissioner Urpilainen will meet with Zambian government ministers and officials, representatives of the Zambian parliament, local business leaders, and EU member states ambassadors. They will also meet with civil society groups and visit EU-supported agriculture and education projects. A short press point with delegation lead Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana (Greens/EFA, DE), Commissioner Urpilainen and the Zambian minister for education will take place on Tuesday 20 June in the afternoon, and will be streamed on the EBS platform.
The EU maintains excellent relations with Zambia, having hosted President Hichilema in plenary in June 2022. Zambia plays a key role in the Southern African region, and its government has initiated a series of economic and social reforms to overcome debt issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members of the delegation
- Pierrette HERBERGER-FOFANA (Greens/EFA, DE), Chair
- György HÖLVÉNYI (EPP, HU)
- Udo BULLMANN (S&D, DE)
- Carlos ZORRINHO (S&D, PT)
Contacts:
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Eoghan WALSH
Press Officer