The EU's Role in the Peace Process
| The EU’s Role in the Peace Process |
The EU was one of four Co-Chairs of the Tokyo Conference on the Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka. The Tokyo donor conference took place in June 2003 for the purpose of raising pledges for post-conflict rehabilitation and development. The donor community sent a strong message of political support and provided pledges of US$ 4.5 billion (grants and loans), tied to progress in the peace process. The conference agreed that the four Co-Chairs would continue to meet regularly and monitor progress in the peace process. The group met four times in 2006, including once in Brussels.
In the context of the Co-Chair group, the EU is represented by the Presidency and the Commission. The EU has consistently played a constructive part as a Co-Chair, providing support to the peace process and to Norway’s role as facilitator. This has been further enhanced by the strong personal commitment to Sri Lanka expressed by successive Commissioners for External Relations, particularly Chris Patten and Benita Ferrero-Waldner. However, the EU primarily sees its role as supporting the remarkable work done by Norway as a facilitator.