I would simply like to say that the Portuguese Presidency has, in these two short months, organised the first Development Council, admittedly an informal one, whose agenda was rightly dominated by EU-Africa relations. Indeed it was this subject which led the development ministers of the fifteen Member States to meet in Lisbon for discussions specifically on the new era these relations have entered.
Jeg vil nøjes med at bemærke, at det portugisiske formandskab inden for blot to måneder for første gang har kunnet afholde et rådsmøde for udviklingsministrene, om end kun uformelt, hvis dagsorden netop var domineret af EU's forhold til Afrika - og det var dét emne, der fik de 15 landes udenrigsministre til at mødes i Lissabon for netop at diskutere den nye dimension, som dette forhold skal have.