S. having regard to the serious repercussions of insecurity on the region’s economy, in particular the mining and tourism sectors, on its development and on job creation; whereas the worsening security situation has resulted in the shelving of development projects under way in several countries in the sub-region, thus leaving many young people unemployed, whose vulnerability is likely to benefit terrorist or criminal groups;

S. having regard to the serious repercussions of insecurity on the region's economy, in particular the mining and tourism sectors, on its development and on job creation; whereas the worsening security situation has resulted in the shelving of development projects under way in several countries in the sub-region, thus leaving many young people unemployed, whose vulnerability is likely to benefit terrorist or criminal groups;

Following the Commission Communication of 23 February 2009 entitled ‘A Community approach on the prevention of natural and man-made disasters’, the Council, in its conclusions of 30 November 2009, invited the Commission to ensure that the implementation, review and further development of Union initiatives, take into consideration disaster risk prevention and management concerns as well as the United Nations Hyogo Framework for Action Programme (2005-2015) adopted on 22 January 2005, which stresses the need to put in place procedures for assessment of the disaster risk implications of major infrastructure ...[+++]projects.

In its Special Report No 6/2006 concerning the environmental aspects of the Commission’s development cooperation, the Court of Auditors states that the Commission ‘has no inventory of environmental impact assessments performed on development projects and evidence was found that they had not always been carried out where they should have been carried out’.

4. The Commission may, if it considers it appropriate for the appraisal of major projects, request the EIB to examine the technical quality and economic and financial viability of the projects concerned, in particular as regards the financial engineering instruments to be implemented or developed.

Following an evaluation of the sustainability, relevance and effectiveness of the pilot projects funded under former budget line B7-667 (cf. Annex 1), the Commission will consider the possibility of providing funding in the context of the appropriate budget lines to joint projects by diaspora organisations – preferably from two or more Member States – and local organisations so as to support local development.