Central African Republic: How can the EU help?

With more than half of its population in need of humanitarian assistance and 20% internally displaced, the Central African Republic is struggling to restore peace and stability. The country experienced a coup in March last year and violence escalated in December. As the Parliament will debate on 5 February Europe's role in the troubled country, the European Parliament asked MEPs Michael Gahler, a German member of the EPP, and Louis Michel, a Belgian member of the ALDE group, how the EU could make a difference.

On 20 January, the EU's foreign ministers approved a new military mission, which includes the deployment of 500 troops, to support the French and African Union forces already in the field. The EU is also the Central African Republic's largest donor of humanitarian assistance, with funding of over more than €76 million in 2013.

Catherine Samba-Panza, the new interim president of the Central African Republic, has recently asked for more support from European Union and African countries. How can the EU help?

Louis Michel, chair of the delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and co-president of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly 

As co-president of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA), I can assure you that the JPA continues to monitor the situation very closely. The deployment of EU troops to support the African Union forces shows the degree of cooperation which is vital to addressing the immediate needs of the country, although longer term financial and human resources will be required to establish and maintain a sustainable solution to the benefit of the beleaguered people of the Central African Republic and to contribute to security in the region as a whole.

Michael Gahler, chair of the delegation for relations with the Pan-African Parliament

The EU can be helpful through its "comprehensive approach" which means we are able to address adequately many circumstances: starting from humanitarian aid to help displaced and starving people (through ECHO), by helping to stabilize a country or a defined part thereof by means of a Common Security and Defence Policy mission, at a later stage through a security sector reform programme, and by projects for reconstruction and development, including democracy programmes and election observation missions.

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