The European Commission，the unique non-governmental organization and executive body of the European Union， has always been at the forefront of peace-building efforts， humanitarian aid， and constructive development. The Delegation of the European Commission to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, exemplifies the organization’s noble endeavors，in particular by assisting people and governments with rehabilitation from large-scale natural disasters.

Sri Lanka emerged from ２５ years of conflict and for the first time in many years is unified. The landscapes are beautiful and there is much potential for continued peace and prosperity. The collaboration between the European Union and Sri Lanka began in 1975 and over the decades has expanded from commercial agreements to a wide range of partnerships in rural development， community rehabilitation in the northern and eastern regions， post-tsunami restoration，as well as education and culture.

The European Commission Delegation at the present manages €２００ million of ongoing assistance programs besides the emergency relief funds provided by European Union’s humanitarian office. These programs carry out community regeneration， infrastructural enhancement，as well as livelihood sustainability to the internally displaced and tsunami-affected population.  

In a recent interview with Supreme Master Television， The Honorable Mr. Bernard Savage，
current Ambassador of the Delegation, introduced the general projects that the European Commission has been carrying out in Sri Lanka. First， he explains the agency’s work in post-conflict community assistance in the eastern region of the country.

Mr. Savage (m): We have a large program focusing on Ampara District. We have，for instance， built community access roads， we have a number of livelihood projects. There is a Paddy Marketing Center we built near Ampara. There are a lot of community work， community halls， community schools， much smaller than that in Vakarai. And we also have a major road project which connects the south of the country to the east. And it’s in two phases. The first phase is already completed， and the second phase will be completed next year. I’ve also recently signed contracts on behalf of the European Commission for similar types of development in Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts. So we have this focus on the north and east.

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/05/14/eu-seeks-mutually-beneficial-equal-partnership-with-ri-envoy.html&cid=０&ei=mdMXSpe９M８jokAWVleCoAw

HOST:  Sri Lanka was the second most affected country by the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami， in which 35,000 people lost their lives and nearly one million people lost their homes. The European Union acted swiftly in the aftermath by dramatically increased its aid to Sri Lanka among other afflicted countries. In addition to the €42 million in emergency donations to Sri Lanka under the European Commission’s Humanitarian Assistance， the European Commission Delegation pledged an additional €100 million for post-tsunami reconstructions in the country.Furthermore， to help withthe recovery process，the European Commission Delegation to Sri Lanka was upgraded to a full embassy with an Ambassador in 2005. With this upgrade the Delegation doubled its staff members and began to makeits decisions locally in the capital of Colombo.

The Delegation worked with Sri Lanka government in launching １４ post-tsunami recovery programs among 13 tsunami-affected districts in the country. By mid-2007， more than 75% of paddy cultivation land was returned to use; the rebuilding of nearly 285 km of the national highway and another  5 major roads was completed; 218 hospitals and clinics were in reconstruction; 160  schools were rebuilt; and ７ projects handling water， waste， and solar power were benefiting thousands of people...

Mr. Savage (m): I should also mention the major contribution we’ve made to housing reconstruction， there’s the North-East Housing Reconstruction program in lines with the World Bank，where we built a large number of houses， not only in the Eastern Province， but also in the north.

HOST: Half of the 95.000 houses destroyed during the tsunami were rebuilt by mid 2007. These post-tsunami community rehabilitation efforts not only helped the livelihoods of families in Ampara and nearby areas, but also helped to secure peace among different groups.