The European Union and Cape Verde will hold their first ministerial meeting tomorrow in Bruseels within the Framework of their special partnership created late last year.

The meeting will be held during the European Union's Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense and Development, which is being held today and tomorrow in Brussels. The EU will be represented in the meeting by Slovenia, which currently holds the Union presidency, by the European Commission and by the High Representative for Foreign Policy and Common Security.

Stressing the fact that this is an "important meeting," given that it is the first on the ministerial level between the two parties following the establishment of the partnership in November of 2007, a diplomatic source told Portuguese news agency Lusa that the meeting will be used to analyze the current state of the plan of action called for as a part of the partnership, as well as to "draw a sort of road map for the reinforcement of political dialogue."

Last November, the 27 European Union member states, meeting under the Portuguese presidency of the Union, reached an accord on the launch of a special partnership between the EU and Cape Verde, with the objective of strengthening and expanding ties between the two sides.

The "special partnership" includes the reinforcement of political dialogue and talks on economic convergence, going beyond the traditional donor/beneficiary relationship, with the establishment of a framework of mutual interests, according to the document adopted at the time by the European Union Council, which also underscores "the special and strong historical relations between the two parties."

At the time, Cape Verde's Council of Ministers stressed the importance of providing adequate follow-up to the process for the development of a special partnership between the EU and Cape Verde, calling for regular monitoring of the partnership on both political and technical planes.

Good governance, security and stability, regional integration, the establishment of the information society and the fight against poverty are some of the pillars that will regulate relations between Cape Verde and the EU, with a regular political dialogue to be developed based on "common values and principles."

Cape Verde's special status alongside the European Union includes an "action plan" that congregates the logic of rapprochement between Europe and Africa, opening up a precedent for the Cotonou Accords among the EU and the countries of Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.