Dutch government sponsors trip for EU accession country experts to smooth their transition from aid recipients to donors

A group of MPs, civil servants and key figures from civil society among the 10 new European Union member states, will travel to two developing countries on Saturday on a trip sponsored by the Dutch government, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency. The Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation, Agnes van Ardenne, said the week-long trip to Uganda and Vietnam was meant to give the accession countries the opportunity to develop in their new role as aid donor — rather than recipient — states.