Remarks by the EU Ambassador H.E. Paola Amadei at the Joint Press Conference on the Lesotho-EU partnership 2025
Khotsong Bo-'M'e le Bo-Ntate,
It is with great pleasure that together with Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Relations, Ntate Lejone Mpotjoana, I welcome you this afternoon to the press conference jointly organised by the Government of Lesotho and the European Union Delegation, to celebrate the partnership that unites us.
This two days ahead of us embody the multifaceted, long-standing relation between the Kingdom of Lesotho and the European Union.
We are elated to come together only few days after the 9th of May, marking the birth of the European project for peace and development. Like King Moshoeshoe I, the founding fathers of the European Union believed in peace and solidarity and wanted to offer the citizens of the Union and their partners a sustainable peace, based on respect of human rights, fundamental freedom, democracy and development for all, so that war will become unthinkable.
EU relations with the Kingdom date back to 1976, year of the entry into force of the Lomé Convention, when the EU Delegation in Maseru also opened its doors in the Mountain Kingdom. Our relations are now underpinned by the Samoa Agreement, signed in November 2023 by the EU and its 27 Member States, along with 79 nations from the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States. This agreement provides a comprehensive framework for political, economic, and development cooperation between the EU and Lesotho. This agreement covers around 2 billion people.
For almost 50 years now, the European Union has been a committed partner to Lesotho, supporting diverse programmes and initiatives in governance, human rights and social protection, renewable energy, infrastructure, water and sanitation, climate change, private sector development and trade, and providing humanitarian support.
Our relationship has progressively expanded from development cooperation and humanitarian assistance to a multi-faceted partnership encompassing cooperation, political dialogue, trade and investment, and academic and cultural exchanges (notably via the Erasmus+ programme).
The presence of representatives from fourteen Member States of the European Union, namely Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden, in the largest delegation ever participating in the Partnership Dialogue, is a clear sign of the vitality of the relations and of the importance the EU attaches to them.
Later this month, the EU will be honoured to welcome the Honourable Minister Lejone Mpotjoana in Brussels to participate to the Third European Union-African Union Ministerial meeting, preparing the ground for the AU-EU Summit later this year, culminating a very special period for the revamping of Africa and Europe relations, 50 years since the signing of the Lomé Convention.
Next week, Lesotho Ambassador-designate H.E. Ms Mantoetsi Mohatonyane will also present her credentials to the Presidents of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
Today, as you will see in the next segment of the programme, we will officially launch with the Government of Lesotho the 2025 EU Cooperation Programmes, spanning from renewable energy to civic education and electoral support, for a total of EUR 16 million (around LSL 337 million). This way, the European Union continues to demonstrate concretely its commitment to build a greener economy and a more peaceful and just society, in order to uplift communities out of poverty.
As a reliable and principled ally on the global stage, the EU remains devoted to promoting democracy, encouraging inclusive dialogue, and strengthening partnerships based on respect of sovereignty, independence and transparency.
Tomorrow, the Lesotho-EU Partnership Dialogue will bring together members of His Majesty’s Cabinet and senior officials on the Lesotho side and Ambassadors and diplomats of EU Member States. This gathering underscores the mutual dedication to ongoing partnership and facilitates deeper engagement on a range of critical areas, notably governance and human rights, multilateral and regional developments, trade and business environment, Lesotho-EU cooperation in particular in the field of renewable energy, sustainable water management and access, as well as climate change.
These important events happen not casually during the month of May. In fact, the European Union celebrates Europe Day on the 9th and more broadly the month of May is dedicated to celebrate the so-called Europe Month all over the world.
We celebrate in fact, the historic 'Schuman declaration' presented by French foreign minister Robert Schuman on 9th May 1950. Schuman was a visionary. Just five years after the end of the Second World War that had torn the European continent apart, he chose to write a story — not of revenge or rivalry. But of peace and reconciliation. He proposed the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community, whose six members (France, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg) would pool coal and steel production. This idea steered Europe towards a path of peace, prosperity and political cooperation in a continent then ravaged by the aftermath of the war.
This year more than ever, it is important to recall that the European Union is committed to peace, partnership, and cooperation — within our borders and worldwide.
We are witnessing a rapidly changing world. Even when faced with the greatest challenges, the European Union stands as a reliable partner and together with our 27 Member States, we invest in mutually beneficial relations based on trust and respect.
And this is Schuman's greatest legacy: a stable, reliable and attractive Union. Today, besides the 27 Member States with a population of 450 million of Europeans, ten more countries, home to more than 150 million people, are waiting to join the European Union voluntarily. Why do they come to us? Not just for prosperity – but for peace. Not just for trade — but for trust. For shared values. Because Europe is more than a market.
With Lesotho, we share commitments to democracy, human rights, sustainable development and multilateralism, within a rules-based international order.
The European Union is a reliable trade partner. Thanks to the “Everything But Arms” policy and the EU-SADC EPA, all imports of goods originating from Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, and Eswatini have permanent, full and free access to the EU market.
Lesotho can leverage its access to preferential trade agreements such as the SADC-EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in order to build resilient local industrial capacities, develop domestic entrepreneurship, and local value addition.
We intend to continue applying quota-free and duty-free access in favour of all imports of goods from Lesotho into the EU Market - the world’s largest single market. This access is asymmetric, which means that Lesotho does not open its market at the same level as the EU, thus helping its local industries to grow, and protecting sensitive sectors. In recent years, Lesotho enjoyed a continuous trade surplus towards the EU, driven by strong export growth (50% in 2023).
The recent sudden policy shift and funding freeze are deeply affecting development and humanitarian aid. Fragility is rising across the world. For the EU, inaction is not an option, as prolonged political crises, armed conflicts, and climate change make vulnerabilities worse. EU is fully engaged, but we cannot fill the gap left by others and we must not have the false impression that we can. Everyone in the international community must shoulder their responsibility and play a role that matches their economic standing.
Today's geopolitical challenges and growing funding gaps make policy reforms – in many social and economic sectors – and renewed efforts for efficiency, more urgent than ever.
Working on solutions and building partnerships remains key.
We continue working together to the benefit of Basotho population at large, by ensuring the successful implementation of our socio-economic cooperation. As mentioned earlier, the EU supports programmes and initiatives in many sectors in Lesotho (governance, human rights and social protection, renewable energy, water and sanitation, climate change, private sector development and trade), and provides humanitarian assistance to the country.
Besides, there are also other initiatives that can trigger long lasting impact, complementing major actions that the EU is supporting in the country. I am talking about people-to-people diplomacy, for instance through and academic and cultural exchanges.
The collaboration between Lesotho’s higher education institutions and their European counterparts open doors for students, enhance institutional capacities, and contribute to a global academic network where knowledge flows freely. Europe already has the second highest scientific output in the world. It is home to over 2 million researchers – one quarter of the world's total. We lead in green tech, health, economics, business and social sciences. We are a continent where innovation serves humanity, where global talent is welcomed.
The Erasmus+ programme, one of the flagship education programme of the European Union to promote closer cooperation between universities and higher education institutions – together with EU Member State scholarships and exchange programs, do more than providing access to world-class education in Europe; they cultivate understanding, foster innovation, and build connections that transcend borders.
The Erasmus programme has been running for 37 years now, with an ever growing global scope, touching 14 million people. As we speak, thanks to this programme students and teaching staff from 3 major universities of Lesotho can benefit from exchange opportunities in Latvia, Austria and Finland (for NUL), Poland (for Lerotholi Polytechnic) and Sweden (for Botho University), and we are glad to know that the list will soon be longer with new capacity building programmes under approval.
Another example of extraordinary commitment and long lasting impact is the Letsema project funded under Erasmus+. Letsema is the result of a collective efforts among the National University of Lesotho (NUL), Bethel Business and Community Development Centre (BBCDC), Lesotho, the University of Turku, Finland, Linnaeus University, Sweden. It aims to strengthen the sustainable energy ecosystem in Lesotho by providing equitable, digital and future-oriented education on sustainable energy that promotes inclusiveness, diversity and creation of green jobs. The project has the ambition to develop a new generation of young and committed experts in management, administration, monitoring and evaluation in the field of sustainable energy. Allow me to praise this as one of the best examples of Team Europe initiatives in the country.
Besides, we should not forget that at least 60 Basotho students benefitted from European scholarships in the recent past. They brought home not just academic qualifications but experiences and perspectives that enrich the communities they serve, contributing to the development of Lesotho and the strengthening of its global ties.
To celebrate these enduring bonds forged, in November 2024 we launched the Study in Europe Alumni Network to bring together those former students, now leaders, innovators and bridge-builders, in a platform where connections can deepen, ideas can flourish, and future opportunities can emerge.
Another illustrative example is the EU visitors programme (EU VP) of the European Parliament and the European Commission, which provides a unique insight into the inner working of the EU in Brussels. The EUVP’s Alumni include former and current national political leaders, high-ranking government officials, academics and business people. Lesotho over the past few years has seen two candidates being selected to participate for the first time to the EU VP, and four more through media visits, and I hope this will continue over the years.
Lastly, culture. This year, for the fourth consecutive year, in 2025 the European Union will host its EU Film Festival in Lesotho in collaboration with the Alliance Française de Maseru. Last year, the first binational EU Film Festival Eswatini –Lesotho was an enormous success, made possible thanks to financial contribution of the EU and generous contributions of nine Member States resident in Pretoria. New partners were associated to the Festival, namely the National University of Lesotho and local associations too. By venturing into more locations beyond the capital, the Festival reached a broader audience, six times higher than the one of 2023! The focus on youth allowed students from elementary, middle and highs schools from 16 local schools, and from the university to assist to the screenings.
The Festival included a wide selection of movies from the EU, including from Ukraine, but also from the African continent, the Middle-East and Asia and South America. Three Lesotho films (produced with contributions from the EU supported Sound Connect programme) and a film from Eswatini[1] featured prominently in the programme. They were the most successful ones in terms of participation and this is a clear example of the economic and cultural potential that Lesotho can foster and attract through its creative industries. This year, we plan to expand further the second edition of the Eswatini-Lesotho EU Film Festival to nurture futher cultural exchange, dialogue and creativity across borders.
Last but not least, since last February, the EU has launched a Southern African Regional Cultural Program, covering 6 countries1 in the region, including Lesotho. The programme will work with a wide array of partners to strengthen Southern African cultural production and to nurture Africa-Europe cultural exchanges around cultural heritage and the narratives that surround it, as well as to strengthen the contribution of culture and heritage to sustainable development, notably through enhancing culture and heritage-based tourism development at selected UNESCO-designated sites and cities. We are delighted to work with Goethe Institute and UNESCO for the realisation of this project, that can offer very concrete opportunities for enhancing Lesotho as a tourist destination. I would like to thank the Ministry of Tourism and the Morija Museum for their participation to the first steering activities of the programme, and to the artists and cultural operators, please follow our social media as a call will be launched in the coming months for cultural productions and exchanges. You may have already seen ongoing opportunities as part of the Cultural Spaces programme, and an upcoming workshop organised by Goethe Institute.
These are just few examples of how Lesotho-EU Partnership works in practice. This whole month will be focused on meeting partners, launch new initiatives, and witness the impact of EU partnership on the ground.
We want to honour the efforts to support Lesotho in pursuing Sustainable Development Goals, with a number of activities organised on the numerous EU-funded projects in the energy, water, trade, youth, social protection and justice sectors.
A key aspect of the Lesotho- EU partnership is access to services for all and this is reflected in many of the events of the month.
The Decentralised Ombudsman Office in Mohale’s Hoek will be inaugurated and the Children Court in Leribe will be visited this month as symbols of the broader efforts to improve access to justice and redress across the country and for all citizens, including children.
Later in the month Honourable Minister of Natural Resources Mohlomi will join us in Mohale’s Hoek for the completion of works at one of the first schools benefitting from improved access to water and sanitation thanks to the Metsi a Lesotho programme, signed exactly one year ago in this very room. 51 communities in Thaba-Tseka, Maseru and Mohale’s Hoek districts will get access to water and sanitation this year thanks to the programme, implemented by UNICEF.
Earlier this month a Youth Dialogue & Networking Pitso on education, as part of the EU-funded Youth Power Hub, was presided by Honourable Minister of Gender, Youth and Social Development, Pitso Lesaoana, to give access to the young citizens of Lesotho to authorities making their voice heard.
EU staff will also visit in Leribe one of the most recent projects supported by EU to improve access to the EU and global market by local small and medium-size enterprises.
A calendar of EU month activities and events has been printed for distribution today, and is also available on our EU in Lesotho social media and webpage.
Honourable Minister, allow me to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Lesotho for a continued fruitful partnership. May our joint efforts continue to bring improvements to the lives of the people of Lesotho.
Thank you. Khotso. Pula. Nala.
[1] Three films produced by Lesotho filmmakers supported by the Sound Connects Fund (a Music In Africa Foundation and the Goethe-Institut initiative, funded by the ACP-EU Culture Programme), were screened in multiple locations. The opening film, "A Wish for My Daughter," produced by Lesotho's GEM Institute, delves into inheritance rights and the role of Basotho women in family and community structures. Two films produced by the local radio Sky Alpha as part of the creation of the Lesotho Rap Archives "Lerabeng la Mahlanya" and “We were always here – A Lesotho Hip Hop Story” explored the music scene of the country. Lastly, "Baka Ngwane" from Eswatini focused on King Matalatala's struggle to lead his people across the Zambezi River and the succession by his daughter , iNkhosatana.