NEW: EU to deepen relations with Zim

The Sunday Mail

Online Reporter

THE incoming European Union (EU) Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Jobst von Kirchmann, has indicated that the bloc will increase investments in Zimbabwe, as Harare and Brussels deepen relations, especially under the new political administration.

Speaking to the media after presenting credentials to President Mnangagwa in Harare on Wednesday, Ambassador von Kirchmann said trade relations between the EU and Zimbabwe has the potential to grow further.

“We are the fourth-biggest trading partner in the country and I think we have a very good trading agreement and economic partnership.
“I believe we can do more in the coming years. So that is one of the aspects I would like to tackle,” he said.

Besides trade, he added, the EU will try to push for more investments into the country.

“The second one is investment. We are currently seeing more and more European companies coming in; the latest from France and Germany. “We have 125 million euros worth of investments.

“The European Investment Bank, which is the biggest bank in the world, has opened a credit facility for the private sector, and I had a meeting with them last week to see how we can enlarge the facility in the future to increase investment of the private sector.”

He said the EU was prepared to support Zimbabwe’s plan to establish an upper middle-income economy by 2030.