Europe Day: Team Europe and Senegal for a win-win partnership

On May 9, Europe Day celebrates peace and unity in Europe. This date marks the anniversary of the historic declaration made by Robert Schuman, in which he outlined the idea of ​​a new form of political cooperation in Europe, which would make war between European nations unthinkable. Robert Schuman's proposal is considered the birth certificate of what is today the European Union (EU). Like every year, to mark Europe Day, Team Europe (EU, the 15 EU Member States represented in Senegal and the European Investment Bank EIB) met with national and international media to make the update on the EU-Senegal partnership and European news.

In Europe, many concrete achievements followed the Schuman declaration, notably more solidarity between European States, the internal market, a common currency the Euro, enlargement to several countries in Central, Eastern and Southern Europe, more economic and political integration.

In Senegal, the EU, its Member States and its financial institutions are promoting a renewed, balanced and win-win partnership with youth at the heart. This is the message that was conveyed by the President of the European Council Charles Michel during his recent visit to Senegal on April 22: the EU is a “loyal, predictable partner with no hidden agenda.” Team Europe is in line with the priorities of the new Government, to promote access to employment for young people through professional training that meets their ambitions and the needs of the labor market. It works directly with the private and financial sector to improve the financial inclusion of young people and their access to credit. Furthermore, Senegal is a pilot country for the Team Europe Initiative Investing in Young Business in Africa to help young businesses and entrepreneurs, particularly women, launch, consolidate and develop sustainable, solid and inclusive businesses and to create decent jobs.

This approach is underpinned by the European Global Gateway strategy which aims to create sustainable links between regions and continents through green investments in key sectors. These include health and road infrastructure, food security, energy and digital. The objective is to help propel the economy of Senegal to improve the living environment of the populations.

Jean-Marc Pisani, EU Ambassador to Senegal said: “This year we are celebrating 74 years of the European Project and we are proud to celebrate the historic and mutually beneficial partnership between the European Union and Senegal: a partnership anchored in the present and looking to the future; which allows us to work together, hand in hand, for a fairer, more united, more united world. »

Some data on Team Europe’s intervention in Senegal

• Under the impetus of the Organizing Committee for the Dakar Youth Olympic Games in 2026, Team Europe is financing the FIT Senegal project - Training, Integration, Work - for 47 billion FCFA (72 MEUR) in order to offer opportunities for training and integration into careers of the future for young people.
• Via youth budget support amounting to more than 18 billion FCFA (28.7 MEUR) in 2023, the EU is supporting economic governance reforms to strengthen job creation.
• To open up and increase trade from the region to the interior of the country and neighboring countries, Team Europe contributed to the rehabilitation work on the Sénoba-Ziguinchor-Mpack road. The project trained around 500 young people in trades such as construction by providing them with their first job.
• Support for the construction of the Rosso Bridge will promote connectivity and interregional trade, through the creation of a strategic, sustainable and safe transport corridor, as well as basic social infrastructure that will benefit local populations.
• Team Europe supports green investments in urban mobility in Dakar via the restructuring of public transport in Dakar with the provision of at least 120 electric buses as well as 380 gas buses for the BRT and TER feeder lines.
• Team Europe also intervenes in the fight against desertification, notably through the RIPOSTES project in support of the Great Green Wall.
• With the Program to support the development of renewable energies for universal access to electricity, Team Europe supports Senegal in creating jobs in the rural area of ​​Ziguinchor and Matam through access to sustainable energy services for around 30,000 households (nearly 200,000 people).
• Team Europe contributes 66 billion FCFA (101MEUR) to the Agropole Center project to develop the agrosylvopastoral and fisheries value chains in Kaolack.
• Team Europe supported Senegal in the development of data and artificial intelligence strategies.
• Team Europe supports the recovery plan for the pharmaceutical industry in Senegal, and in this context supports the MADIBA project of the Pasteur Institute in Dakar for the construction of a vaccine production site (up to 300 million doses per year). It also funded the construction of the CARE Center for African Pandemic Resilience.
• Since 2014, the EU has continuously supported the efforts led by the Center for Humanitarian Dialogue, mandated by the State of Senegal, in favor of a definitive resolution of the conflict in Casamance.