Iraq can enjoy new economic opportunities and receive a boost to its efforts to promote democracy and human rights in the country thanks to its first-ever framework agreement with the EU. That is the view of Italian Christian Democrat MEP Mario Mauro (pictured), who is responsible for steering the agreement through Parliament. He is recommending […]
By John Lee. The European Parliament's foreign affairs committee on Monday backed a historic deal that establishes the first ever contractual relationship between the EU and Iraq. MEPs recommended that the full House endorse the partnership and cooperation agreement (PCA) but listed concerns over human rights and political failings in Iraq and called for a […]
The foreign ministers of Sweden, Poland and Bulgaria yesterday arrived together in the Kurdistan Region where they met President Masoud Barzani and Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation and to talk about the latest political developments in Iraq and the ongoing crisis in Syria. President Barzani welcomed the three foreign ministers, […]
President Masoud Barzani this week in Brussels met Belgium’s Foreign Minister Steven Vanackere. He also met European Union officials to discuss expanding relations with its member states. President Barzani encouraged Foreign Minister Vanackere to move Belgium’s Embassy from Amman to Baghdad and to consider opening a consulate in Erbil. Mr Vanackere commended the political and […]
The new head of the European Union Delegation to Iraq, Ambassador Jana Hybášková, paid her first visit to the Kurdistan Region to discuss political and economic ties. In a meeting with Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani, recent developments, the current programs and role of the EU in Iraq, and the relationship between the Kurdistan Regional […]
On 6 June, the European Union and Government of Iraq launched a major programme to improve the future of young Iraqis. The programme will be implemented though the British Council, the United Kingdom’s international cultural and educational agency. It will: Improve education standards in 1,700 schools through improved teacher training. This will benefit 800,000 pupils […]
Members of the European Parliament this week in Erbil met the Kurdistan Region’s leadership. The head of the delegation Mr Struan Stevenson said to President Barzani that Iraq and Kurdistan could provide a model in the Middle East of how challenges can be solved through democracy. When meeting President Barzani, Mr Stevenson said that his […]
The Kurdistan Regional Government’s Head of Foreign Relations Minister Falah Mustafa Bakir yesterday met with the Head of the European Union’s Rule of Law Mission for Iraq and they inaugurated the mission's permanent office in Erbil. At a press conference after their meeting Minister Bakir and Mr Francisco Diaz Alcantud provided information about the European […]
The European Union is contributing 17 million euro [$24 million] to improve access to quality basic education in Iraq. The EU is partnering with UNICEF and the Government of Iraq to develop new education policies, build the capacity of the government, and mobilize communities to increase enrolment of girls and boys in schools and help […]
The European Union (EU) will open a representative office in Erbil in the near future, an EU official said on Tuesday. The European Union Chief of the Judicial Development Program, Michael Kassan, told AKnews that the Union has requested authorization from officials in the Kurdistan Region and Baghdad to open a representative office in the […]
UNESCO has launched a scientific survey of Iraq’s groundwater in an effort to improve the government's ability to address water scarcity in the country. Iraq is currently facing severe water shortages across most parts of the country, with over 7.6 million Iraqis lacking access to safe drinking water, and an agriculture sector suffering from years […]
