The European Union (EU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have called on industrialized countries to help developing countries in the West African sub-region to adapt to the unavoidable harmful consequences of climate change.

According to a communiqué reaching?in Lagos?at the end of the 16th EU-ECOWAS Ministerial Troika meeting, both parties called on the nations to continue to take the lead in commitment to deep emission reduction cuts in the medium and longer term and to provision of capacity building, financing and technology.

They recognized the important implications that climate change will have for food security and welcomed the EU initiative of dialogue with major parties, in order to look at possible areas of cooperation.

The parties called on developing countries to prepare low carbon development plans as soon as possible, in order to indicate actions to be taken and the level of support they require.

According to Sweden's State Secretary of Foreign Affairs Ministry Frank Belfrage, who cochaired the meeting with Nigeria's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Bagudu Hirse, the EU specifically welcomed the advanced stage of preparations by ECOWAS to adopt a regional action program to reduce vulnerability to climate change in the sub region.

The EU also welcomed ECOWAS' efforts to establish a common energy and electricity market, noting that the recently launched International partnership on Energy Efficiency Cooperation (IPEEC), as well as the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) could play an important role in further enhancing cooperation on energy efficiency and renewable energy.