November 14, 2008 (venezuelanalysis.com)-- On Wednesday, the Venezuelan Foreign Relations Ministry hosted its first Economic Dialogue Meeting with the European Union (EU). The coordinator of the meeting, Venezuelan Vice Minister of Foreign Relations for Europe, Alejandro Fleming, said, “We have designed a strategy for relations that advance positively with several countries... a deepening of relations on all levels, not just political.” Fleming added that for Venezuela, a "fundamental element" of economic cooperation with Europe is technology transfer. Diplomats from Portugal, France, Britain, Germany, Holland, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Finland, Austria, Poland participated in the meeting. So far this year, growth in the non-oil sector has averaged 7.1%, while growth in the oil sector has averaged 4.8%, according to the Ministry of Planning and Development.