Brussels, Thursday 8 March 2007
Disclaimer: This ECDPM report does not represent any official position of the parties involved.
On Thursday 8 March 2007, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) hosted a consultation of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee in Brussels to exchange views about the joint EU-Africa strategy. The ACP-EU Follow-up Committee of the EESC was established to act as a steering committee and as an official civil society interlocutor vis-à-vis the political authorities in the Cotonou Partnership. It is composed of 12 members of the EESC and 12 representatives of economic and social interest groups from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.
Presided by Mr Gérard Dantin (representing the French trade union organisation CFDT), the meeting featured speakers from the European Commission’s Directorate General for Development, the German Presidency’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the European Centre for Development Policy Management. This short paper provides a brief summary of the content of the discussions.
Process and shared vision
The Follow-up Committee’s President stressed the importance of coordination with existing institutional arrangements, particularly the European Economic and Social Committee and its African counterparts. There is a need for improved cooperation between these organisations, and any new partnership should avoid overlap. The Follow-up Committee members put forward additional questions:
- In terms of sequence, should not a shared EU-African vision be elaborated before the thematic content of the strategy?
- Which concrete outputs are envisaged for this year’s Lisbon Summit?
- How will the new EU-Africa partnership relate to the existing ACP-EU relationship?
- How will the various non-state actors be involved in the new political setup of the EU-Africa partnership, particularly given the challenge of establishing effective non-state actors’ forums in Africa?
On the officials’ side, Mr Klaus Zillikens (German Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and Rob Rozenburg (European Commission, DG DEV) explained that the formulation of a shared vision is needed to reflect the interdependence of the main issues. Much agreement on the shared vision already exists, so that all main issues can be discussed. The joint strategy’s key deliverable would be to establish a format for regular political dialogue between the EU and Africa, since adequate follow-up is needed to effectively implement agreements. The joint strategy will therefore be a political rather than a legal agreement, complementing instead of replacing existing dialogue platforms. Non-state actors form a vital pillar of the future partnership, hence their active involvement in the process.
Mr Geert Laporte described the process from ECDPM’s independent perspective. Although shared values clearly exist, priorities differ between the EU and Africa: the EU has a tendency to focus mostly on aid, trade and migration issues whereas Africa desires a more comprehensive partnership. The EU seems to increasingly take into account African priorities such as policy coherence, yet its fragmented approach towards Africa remains a challenge. Finally, the participation of African non-state actors has progressed, but initiatives at the national level are not followed by those at the regional or global levels.
Key development issues, trade and regional integration
The Follow-up Committee’s President emphasised the need to focus primarily on the question of how to implement agreed measures. An important issue is the equitable distribution of the gains from increased trade, which is not merely a matter of governance. The members of the Follow-up Committee articulated additional concerns:
- Human beings and poverty should be at the centre of the discussions.
- The lack of employment opportunities resulting from a small formal sector and a large young population has serious repercussions such as illegal emigration, crime and violence.
- Rural development has so far received insufficient attention.
- The strategy must create a stronger link between trade and the environment.
- Insufficient political will is the main reason for delays in regional cooperation.
- Efforts must be made to implement African home-grown initiatives instead of exclusively taking advice from outsiders.
- Migration within Africa is an important yet often underestimated phenomenon.
- Electricity, while necessary for economic activity, is a scarce commodity all over the African continent.
- Business creates jobs, but there is an unequal battle in Africa between local and foreign companies.
Governance, human rights, peace and security
The following major concerns were put forward by members of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee:
- Civic education and awareness-raising are vital to ensure that citizens know what their rights are. This helps to ensure political participation and stability.
- Capacity-building of African civil society organisations is essential. There is a need for empowerment, especially in rural communities.
- The EU should help to ensure active participation in development by businesspeople and other strategic partners.
- Governance needs to be addressed from the perspective of the separation of powers. How can the legal environment be improved; for instance, how can excessive influence of the executive powers be dealt with?
- The international community often approaches ‘good governance’ with double standards, as is illustrated by its tendency to legitimise coups ex post.
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