MFA: Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Virolainen to EU development ministers' meeting in Brussels

The key focus will be on Africa. The Commission's communication on the Africa - Europe Alliance, aiming at boosting sustainable investments and at creating jobs in Africa, will be their main topic of discussion. Public development funding has been used to launch investment projects to create jobs for youth and women, in particular, and to strengthen the public sector.

Ministers will also continue their review of the future MFF (budget proposal for 2021–2027) and its external action funding instruments, which are used in the European Union's development policy. One of these is the European Fund for Sustainable Development (EFSD). The ministers' discussion about the EFSD and its reform is closely linked to the funding of the Africa – Europe Alliance.

Minister Anne-Mari Virolainen will also attend a lunch meeting with Nobel Peace Prize laureates of 2018 Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad. Their discussion will focus on gender questions and especially on violence against women. In the afternoon, Minister Virolainen will meet Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica.

Inquiries: Juha Kirstilä, Special Adviser to the Minister for Foreign Trade and Development, tel. +358 40 552 8200, and Anni Mäkeläinen, Assistant, Department for Development Policy, tel. + 358 295 350 342

The Foreign Ministry’s email addresses are in the format firstname.lastname@formin.fi.