The Bolivian government signed on Tuesday an agreement with the European Union (EU) on the implementation of three projects concerning food, mining and environmental management with a total worth of 50.3 million U.S. dollars.
"This is a big act of trust of the EU in the actions carried by the Bolivian State on behalf of the people of our country," Bolivian Planning Minister Noel Aguirre said.
The agreement was signed by Aguirre, Bolivian Mining Minister Luis Alberto Echazu, and Kenneth Bell, the head of a European Commission delegation.
According to the agreement, the EU will give Bolivia 14.3 million dollars to a project aimed at improving the working conditions of the country's mining sector, while the Bolivian government will contribute 4.3 million dollars to the same project, which will last five years.
For the second project, which is designed to mitigate environmental pollution by mining exploitation, the EU will allocate 15.7 million dollars while Bolivia will provide 4.7 million dollars.
This project will also last five years and will be implemented by the local government of Oruro.
For the third project, which is a two-year program on food security to be implemented by the Bolivian rural development ministry, the EU will give 11.1 million dollars.
The food program will benefit the most vulnerable people in the rural areas of Bolivia and improve their basic food supply, said Bell.