Eritrea-European Union Partnership : 20 years of EU presence in Eritrea

Eritrea is a country with a complex and turbulent history, with a determined, creative and resilient people, proud of its achievements and enjoying a rare social harmony among its diverse communities. But it is also a country still struggling to overcome the legacy of a long and devastating liberation war and of the disruptive border conflict with Ethiopia, which has not only caused immense human suffering in both countries but has also required the economic and commercial reorientation of Eritrea. The relationship which the EU has developed with Eritrea since the country's independence tries to look beyond the stereotypes and to work towards common long-term interests, based on mutual understanding and in a spirit of partnership. The European Union strives to contribute to Eritrea's social and economic development, to help its people face the challenges of drought and desertification and to support the government's decision to shift from costly and polluting hydrocarbonbased electricity production to renewable sources of energy sources such as solar, wind and geothermal, which is in line with the EU's global climate change policy. The EU has also consistently advocated for peaceful and mutually beneficial neighbourly relations based on international law in the entire Horn of Africa.