The European Union is resuming full cooperation with Guinea-Bissau following "free and credible" elections in the West African country, the bloc announced Monday. The move, which allows the EU to directly provide aid to the Guinea-Bissau government, comes after Jose Mario Vaz won a presidential run-off vote on May 18. Until now, all funding from Brussels has been channelled through international donor programmes, AP reported. The EU has no direct funding earmarked at present, but could in future support Guinea-Bissau's "reconstruction and stabilization," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs said in a joint statement. This could help the government to rapidly "ensure vital state functions and provide basic social services to the population," they added. The EU also called on Guinea-Bissau to meet commitments it had made to the bloc, notably regarding security sector reforms and changes to the country's military hierarchy. In 2011, the EU had restricted its development cooperation with Guinea-Bissau, a country of 1.6 million people, following a military mutiny the previous year. A further coup, in April 2012, brought a new military-backed transitional government to power. -- SPA 17:52 LOCAL TIME 14:52 GMT تغريد
