Starting January 2002, the European Union intends to shift the focus of its foreign aid policy from Eastern Europe to the Middle East region, Italian Delegated Minister for Foreign Trade Adolfo Urso was quoted as saying by Maariv.
The policy shift was reportedly agreed upon in discussions between Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and the Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar, whose countries’ will hold the rotating European Union presidency over the next two years. The EU plans to funnel billions of dollars of foreign aid to the region by establishing a new financial agency to oversee the transfer of funds. — (menareport.com)
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
