Prime Minister José Maria Neves will meet with European Commission president Durão Barroso on October 25 to analyze the special partnership Cape Verde hopes to obtain with the European Union.

The Prime Minister declared that this meeting, which will take place in Brussels, is a part of the efforts Cape Verde is undertaking in order to achieve a special partnership with the European Union.

“We’ve already begun doing our homework. Extraordinary work has been done since 2001 and I think that we’re going to manage to secure a strategic relationship with Europe beginning with the Council of Europe’s decision,” affirmed Neves.

In addition to meeting with Durão Barroso, José Maria Neves will take advantage of his trip to meet with “a number of European prime ministers in the countries bordering Belgium in order to discuss the special partnership,” he said, without, however, specifying which countries. “This is permanent diplomatic work we have o do, it has to be continuous work,” the Prime Minister was quoted as saying by Portuguese news agency Lusa.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Victor Borges has reportedly secured the support of at least seven Eastern European countries in Cape Verde’s bid for a special partnership with the EU. In November, the European Commission plans to submit a declaration regarding the special partnership to the Council of Europe.

Although various countries, including Portugal, Spain and Luxembourg, have indicated that they are favorable to a special partnership between the EU and Cape Verde, the matter is still circulating in the back halls in Brussels. Officially, the European Commission has only mentioned the issue in correspondence exchanged among European Parliament members. It is also mentioned in the 10th European Development Fund plan, in which a percentage is destined for initiatives aimed at developing ties between Cape Verde and the European Union.

This signs show that the diplomatic efforts Cape Verde has made seem to be having results. Among the main objectives of the special partnership are the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as curbing illegal migration, all issues of great interest to both Cape Verde and the European Union.

Source: A Semana