Welcome
Welcome to the website of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of The Gambia. I hope that a brief glance at this website will provide you with up-to-date information on the European Union, its values and its activities in The Gambia, as well as a broader overview of the EU’s institutions and policies.
Bringing together more than 500 million people from 27 Member States (and speaking 23 languages), the European Union is proud of its history, which started just after the Second World War, in which most of these countries had fought bitterly against one another. This organisation, which originally regrouped just six countries in 1957, continues to attract candidate countries.
Since the 1950s, the European Union project of integration has been based on the respect of certain essential values – peace, democracy and respect for human rights – on which the EU bases its external relations with its partners on all four continents. The European Union maintains political, economic, trade and cooperation links with 130 countries around the world. It is also a member or an associate of most major international organisations.
For the European Union, the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1st December 2009 marked an important milestone in the EU’s integration. The Treaty foresees a more ambitious approach to the EU's external action. With the establishment of the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the creation of the post of High Representative for External and Security Policy, currently held by Baroness Catherine Ashton, the new foreign service of the EU emphasizes and strengthens the role of the European Union as a major international player.
The Treaty of Lisbon also enhances the European Union's capacity to promote universal principles abroad: democracy, the rule of law, human rights, good governance, fundamental freedoms, and the principles of equality and solidarity. The activities of the EU Delegation to The Gambia reflect these principles.
The EU–Gambia relationship dates back more than 35 years. Important changes have taken place since formal ties were established between the EU and The Gambia in 1976, with the opening of the EU Delegation in Banjul. The Gambia has come a long way to economic reconstruction and development; nevertheless important challenges remain, notably in the fields of poverty eradication and governance. Our relationship has expanded from implementation of development cooperation to a much wider range of issues, encompassing political dialogue. For more information on the cooperation between the EU and The Gambia, as well as with other ACP countries, visit our Political & Economic, Trade and Development Cooperation pages.
The eradication of poverty is the primary objective of the European Union's development cooperation under the Lisbon Treaty. To this end, the Delegation pursues a continuous and close cooperation with The Gambia to address several of the main objectives laid down in The Gambia's Program for Accelerated Growth and Employment (PAGE) 
[4 MB] , focusing on support in the areas of good governance, infrastructure, food security and agriculture, and the environment. The EU is The Gambia’s biggest development assistance partner.
I hope that this website will represent a useful and dynamic source of information on the European Union and its work in The Gambia and I invite you to contact us for any comments or questions that you may have.
Thank you for your interest.
Agnès Guillaud, Chargée d'Affaires a.i