were launched at the Rida Said Conference Center. The event features various aspects of cooperation between Syria and the EU. The goal is to acquaint the public with the latest developments in Syrian-EU relations, and to encourage citizens and 
stakeholder to make avail of the possibilities of this cooperation
Dr. Amer Lutfi, the President of the State Planning Commission said at the inauguratio
ceremony that this annual event constitutes the crowning of the long tradition of cooperation with the EU. Giving an overview of the history of Syria-EU relations (the four National Indicative Programs “NIPs”, and the most recent technical aid amount ing to € 129 millions), Lutfi, pointed out that EU is a major partner of Syria in providing technical support for the reform programs spanning social, economic and administrative facets. Additionally, the president of SPC, recognized the loan the European Investment bank has granted to Syria. Between 200-2101 TA programs were conduct at a value of 398 millions. EIB loans amounted to €1.437 Billion spent on vital infrastructure projects in the areas of energy, transportation, water & sewage, Health and SME credits. Transfer of expertise and capacity building are additional factors that encourage Syria to strengthen this relationship, Lutfi added
.
Ambassador Bontosoglou, Head of the EC delegation in Syria, pointed out that this is the second anniversary of celebrating Syrian-European Days in coordination with SPC, the delegation’s counterpart in Syria. Mr. Bontosoglou mentioned that the two sides have agreed on extending TA and strategic cooperation programs in addition to EIB loans. Bilateral cooperation has included the economic, health and education sectors. Organizing the event with the active participation of EU member-states is not only a chance to show what has been done, but also to demonstrate future possibilities, particularly in the academic sector, Bontosoglou added.
Prof. Wael Mualla, Du president, highlighted the many cooperation programs between DU and European Universities. These programs facilitated the travel of many DU scholarship grantees to partner universities in Europe in order to pursue their graduate studies. Mualla also gave an overview of the various EU-Syria cooperation programs in the higher education sector.
Three project beneficiaries gave presentations about the success stories of their projects.
The event was attended by a number of Arab & European ambassadors, UNDP’s Resident Representative, representatives of UN affiliates in Syria, and a number of business, economic and educational stakeholders.
Relevant activities will include workshops and forums on various facets of Syrian-EU cooperation, exposition of funding opportunities, in addition to promoting 40 existing EU funded programs. The exhibit is open daily (4:30-9:00 p.m.).
