Secretary-General Tieffenthal Participated in the European Ministers Council
A Council Meeting between all Development Ministers of the European Nations took place in Stockholm. Secretary-General Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal represented Austria in the meeting, where they discussed global healthcare and the rebuilding of Ukraine.
Secretary-General Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal Represented Austria at the EU Development Ministers Council in Stockholm. / Picture: © OSCE / Micky Kroell
The Informal Council of Ministers of the EU Development Ministers took place in Stockholm yesterday and today, 8 and 9 March 2023. The Secretary-General for Foreign Affairs, Peter Launsky-Tieffenthal, represented Austria. The agenda included Global Health, the reconstruction of Ukraine, and a discussion on multilateral development banks.
The informal Council of Ministers started yesterday with an exchange on Global Health with the Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. The EU's new Global Health Strategy positions global health as a key pillar of the EU's external policy. The Stockholm meeting, therefore, discussed how the EU and its member states can strengthen and expand bilateral, regional, and global partnerships in the field of health.
In times of multiple crises, multilateral development banks play a crucial role. Intelligent and sustainable investments are needed to cope with crises ranging from pandemics to climate change. At the Council of Ministers, the focus was therefore on further developing the development banks to be even more effectively equipped to meet these challenges.
The discussion on Ukraine focused on how reconstruction aid can be embedded in Ukraine's reform process and thus promote Ukraine's European integration. The EU and its member states, as well as European financial institutions, have so far provided a total of about 50 billion euros in aid to Ukraine. However, more joint efforts are needed to repair the enormous damage caused by Russia's war of aggression. How to help most effectively was discussed with Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov, among others.