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Agence Française de Développement supports the implementation of the “Horizon 2020” initiative to depollute the Mediterranean

 

The Paris Summit for the Mediterranean ended today with Heads of State calling for new momentum for the implementation of the “Horizon 2020” initiative. The French President announced that France will, via Agence Française de Développement, devote 730 million euros to the initiative to finance the implementation of depollution programs and projects in the Mediterranean.

The projects will support the implementation of coherent national and regional policies to tackle the causes of this pollution and ensure the sustainable success of the “Horizon 2020” initiative.

AFD will consequently be working in close partnership with its European partners, notably the European Commission, the European Investment Bank and Germany’s KfW.

Agence Française de Développement has allocated 230 million euros to finance depollution projects in Morocco, Tunisia and Egypt since the “Horizon 2020” initiative was launched in 2006. Over the coming years AFD will devote over 500 million euros to finance depollution programs and projects in the Mediterranean identified by partner countries with the support of the European Investment Bank. These projects aim to give populations access to sanitation services, depollute sites and mitigate pollutant emissions.

The “Horizon 2020” initiative was launched in 2006 to mark the tenth anniversary of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (Barcelona Process). It aims to protect the Mediterranean against pollution by 2020. The European Investment Bank puts the cost of the initiative at 2 billion euros.

 

Agence Française de Développement (AFD) is a specialized financial institution at the center of France’s official development assistance to poor countries and support to French Overseas local authorities. In this capacity, AFD contributes to poverty reduction, supports economic growth and environmental preservation. AFD finances projects led by local public authorities, public enterprises, the private sector and associations. Sub-Saharan Africa is a priority for AFD and receives almost half of its financing and over 70% of its grants. In 2007 AFD Group (AFD and its private sector financing arm Proparco) committed 2.7 billion euros in developing countries. Thanks to these financings 5.8 million children went to school, 2.2 million patients gained better access to healthcare and 4 million people received water supply. Energy efficiency projects for the same year reduced CO² emissions by 2.7 million tons a year. www.afd.fr

 

Press Contacts

Laure Weisgerber, weisgerberl@afd.fr – Tel.: +33 1 53 44 30 57
Anne-Sophie Morizot (Hopscotch), asmorizot@hopscotch.fr – Tel.: +33.1.58.65.00.88