Senegal’s new President, on Monday evening, held a meeting with the President of the European Council. Bassirou Diomaye Faye spent long minutes at the Palace of the Republic talking to Charles Michel, who
began his West African tour in Dakar. Speaking to the press, Macky all’s successor explained to his host the new dynamics, centred on sovereignty and win-win partnership that he wants to introduce into Senegalese-European relations.
“It’s true that cooperation (with the EU) is dense and multifaceted. But together, we want to build a partnership that has been rethought, renewed and enriched by a shared vision of a fairer international order that reflects the realities of today’s world,’ said the 44-year-old Senegalese leader, who took advantage of the meeting to
express his “thanks for the European Union’s (EU) constant support” for his country in several areas of cooperation such as water, energy, agriculture, health, transport, digital technology, youth and employment.
Elected on 24 March in the first round of the presidential election with 54.28 percent of the vote, President Faye has a governance project, the “programme for a sovereign, just and prosperous Senegal in a progressing Africa,” on which the Senegalese are pinning a great deal of hope. The “priorities” of Senegal’s new government now revolve around “an endogenous economic model of industrialisation,” with the primary sector as the launch pad, and “strengthening economic infrastructures” such as railways, electrification, telecommunications and road networks.
To carry out these tasks effectively, Bassirou Diomaye Faye told the European leader that he intended to use his forces to gradually combat the budget deficit. Implementing this government “priority” will involve “improving the quality of public spending, more efficient taxation to better mobilise domestic resources, a mechanism for paying taxes where wealth is created and combating illicit financial flows,” he explained, noting that “European investors whose companies have proven skills in various sectors are welcome” in Senegal.
Towards a renegotiation of fisheries agreements?
For his part, the President of the European Council welcomed the “good and extremely fruitful exchange” with Diomaye Faye, noting that Senegal and the EU have “a shared ambition to work towards a high-quality bilateral partnership based on two key principles: respect and trust.”
Praising the “robustness of Senegal’s democratic institutions,” which have enabled the country to come to power for the third time in 24 years, the former Belgian Prime Minister stressed to his host that “additional work” needed to be done to support the productive economy, infrastructure, and vocational and technical training.
While the fisheries agreements concluded with the EU and other partners by Senegal’s former leaders still arouse the anger of a number of local fishermen, the President of the European Council said he was ready to broach the subject without taboos at a time when the new Senegalese authorities are promising to renegotiate a number of
public contracts.
“In the fisheries and fish resources sector, for example, (we are ready to) look at the facts, see how we can, if necessary, make improvements on both sides,” Charles Michel said, stressing that the EU’s responsibility is to be a “loyal, predictable partner for Senegal, with no hidden agenda.”
After Senegal, the President of the European Council will travel to Côte d’Ivoire on Wednesday, where he will spend 48 hours before ending his West African tour in Benin for a day.
“It is true that cooperation (with the EU) is dense and multifaceted. But together, we want to build a partnership that is rethought, renewed and enriched by a shared vision of a fairer international order that reflects the realities of today’s world,” said the 44-year-old Senegalese leader, who also expressed his “thanks for the European Union’s (EU) constant support” for his country in several areas of cooperation, such as water, energy, agriculture, health, transport, digital technology, youth and employment.
Elected on 24 March in the first round of the presidential election with 54.28 percent of the vote, President Faye has a governance project, the “programme for a sovereign, just and prosperous Senegal in a progressing Africa,” on which the Senegalese are pinning a great deal of hope. The “priorities” of Senegal’s new government now revolve around “an endogenous economic model of industrialisation,” with the primary sector as the launch pad, and “strengthening economic infrastructures,” such as railways, electrification, telecommunications and road networks.
To carry out these tasks effectively, Bassirou Diomaye Faye told the European leader that he intended to use his forces to gradually combat the budget deficit. Implementing this government “priority” will involve “improving the quality of public spending, more efficient taxation to better mobilise domestic resources, a mechanism for paying taxes where wealth is created and combating illicit financial flows,” he explained, noting that “European investors whose companies have proven skills in various sectors are welcome” in Senegal.
Towards a renegotiation of fisheries agreements?
For his part, the President of the European Council hailed the “good and extremely fruitful exchange” with Diomaye Faye, noting that Senegal and the EU have “a shared ambition to work towards a high-quality bilateral partnership based on two key principles: respect and trust.”
Praising the “robustness of Senegal’s democratic institutions,” which have enabled the country to come to power for the third time in 24 years, the former Belgian Prime Minister stressed to his host that “additional work” needed to be done to support the productive economy, infrastructure, and vocational and technical training.
While the fisheries agreements concluded with the EU and other partners by Senegal’s former leaders still arouse the anger of a number of local fishermen, the President of the European Council said he was ready to broach the subject without taboos at a time when the new Senegalese authorities are promising to renegotiate a number of
public contracts.
“In the fisheries and fish resources sector, for example, (we are ready to) look at the facts, see how we can, if necessary, make improvements on both sides,” Charles Michel said, stressing that the EU’s responsibility is to be a “loyal, predictable partner for Senegal, with no hidden agenda.”
After Senegal, the President of the European Council will travel to Côte d’Ivoire on Wednesday, where he will spend 48 hours before ending his West African tour in Benin for a day.
ODL/ac/fss/abj/APA