EU Heads of Mission statement – EU welcomes new Government
Heads of Mission of the European Union in Somalia welcome the endorsement by the Federal Parliament of the Cabinet of H.E. Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke.
The new Cabinet now has little time left to deliver against the priorities that the Somali Government set out in Vision 2016 and that formed the basis for international support. The tasks ahead for the Federal Institutions include in particular the establishment of the remaining interim administrations; ensuring a thorough constitutional review process, finalised by the end of 2015 with the aim of holding a constitutional referendum in early 2016; and the implementation of the election preparation activities under the auspices of a National Independent Electoral Commission. The new Government must also urgently respond to the aspirations of the Somali people and increase the delivery of services to the population in line with the New Deal framework.
Establishing a secure environment consistent with commitments made at the London Security Event should gather pace and remains paramount. The Government needs to dispense this ambitious agenda in a spirit of unity, delivery and accountability.
In November, at the High Level Partnership Forum in Copenhagen, the EU reaffirmed its commitment towards the New Deal process. Delivering against the political, security, and development agenda is however foremost a responsibility of the Somali authorities and will require sustained, firm commitment by all Somali stakeholders. The EU will continue to work with the new Cabinet and Government structures at all levels to achieve Vision 2016 and help build a sovereign, secure, democratic, and federal Somalia.
