ECDPM aims to share information on the EU-Africa Strategy negotiations, on related events and positions of civil society representatives as well as provide some analysis on the progress of the negotiations. Click here for a brief introduction of the process. Apart from this bulletin, see also: www.europafrica.org
This is the eighth issue of the Europafrica bulletin (click here for the previous issues), which will give you an up-date on the public consultation for a joint EU-Africa Strategy. The bulletin is issued 1-2 times per month. Subscribe by sending an e-mail to: europafrica@ecdpm.org
Editorial
How to deliver on the EU-Africa Partnership’s ambitions? – Adapting the institutional framework for EU-Africa relations (September 2007)
This editorial (first published in the EU-Africa e-alert no. 10) was written by Marie-Laure de Bergh, ECDPM, and reviews the present institutional framework for EU-Africa relations and assesses the structural changes that would need to be made in order to deliver on the ambitions of the future joint EU-Africa Strategy to be adapted at the foreseen Lisbon Summit in December 2007.
View the full text of the editorial – html ; pdf
News
News on the Lisbon Summit
A new section on the website provides links to recent news and views on the upcoming EU-Africa Summit.
The controversial issue as to whether the President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, should attend the Summit is still under discussion. Recently his attendance has been backed by the presidents of both Zambia and Mozambique, who assert that they will not attend if Mugabe is not permitted. On the other hand, United Kingdom Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, has made known that he will not attend the Summit if Mugabe is invited. This view is not shared by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel or the president of the EC, Jose Manuel Barrosso: “The situation in Zimbabwe is extremely concerning,” he said, “but it cannot be an obstacle to dialogue with an entire continent.” The Portuguese presidency, who will be hosting the Summit, have still not sent out any official invitations, but are of the opinion that the process should not be blocked by one country.
European Parliament preparing report on EU-Africa Strategy
The European Parliament is preparing to adopt a report on the state of play of EU-Africa relations in Plenary on the 22-25 October. The draft report is available here. A discussion took place at the Development Committee of the European Parliament on 10 September. View ECDPM’s report of that discussion here.
Conference: ‘Africa and Europe: Fair Partnership Dilemmas and Challenges’
The conference was organised by the Socialist group at the European Parliament (PSE), and took place on the 19-20 September in
Brussels. Issues discussed include Conflict prevention and development cooperation in Africa; Millenium Development Goals: engaging African civil society and parliamentarians; and Coping with the Climate Change: new challenge for Africa. Key-note speaker was the President of the Pan-African Parliament Mrs Mongella.
Read more.
Conference: ‘What future for the EU-African partnership?’
Friends of Europe’s held an international conference in Brussels 18-19 September, highlighting various views on how an EU-Africa ‘partnership’ is progressing.
For more information see their website.
Conference: ‘European Union-Africa Strategic Agenda’
On 13 September 2007, under the auspices of the Portuguese Presidency of the EU, the Institute for Strategic and International Studies (IEEI), together with the European Centre for Development Policy Management (ECDPM) and the support of the Instituto Português de Apoio ao Desenvolvimento (IPAD), organised an international seminar on the EU-Africa political dialogue, comprised of a Round-table and a Public Conference.
Read more.
Analysis
‘EU strategy for Africa: an Africa Perspective’
Hussaini Abdu from Action Aid International has analysed the EU Strategy for Africa pointing at several short-comings. One of his main points is that the Strategy does not appreciate Africa’s capacity to drive its own development agenda, and that it fails to bring ”credible and systematic responses to key obstacles to Africa’s development over which Europe has influence”, including for instance the debt burden. Finally he lists concrete suggestions for improvement, including:
- Full inclusion of civil society in design and implementation of EU policy in Africa.
- The EC should resolve the disjoint between having one Strategy for ”one Africa” and having separate budget lines and funds for different regions in Africa.
- The EU should show willingness to learn from African experience and analysis.
Read more.
‘EU Africa dialogue require policy that should thrive on influence’
According to Jonathan Holslag of the European Voice, the EU should be aware that its fixation with dialogues and joint projects with a high visibility does not alter the requirement that any policy should thrive on influence. While talking, the EU forgets that its proper position in Africa weakens fast, mainly because it fails to translate its huge potential weight into real diplomatic clout. Europe’s Africa policy should evolve from a thin to a thick diplomacy. Only by reinvigorating its own Africa strategy and by speaking with one voice, can the EU stay in the game and help avoiding that the new scramble (particularly with China) degenerates into a new race to the bottom. If not, it might end up as a naked emperor, without the credibility to play a central role in its own backyard.
Read full article (requires subscription).
‘The European Union in Africa: The Linkage between Security, Governance and Development from an Institutional Perspective’
In this paper Niagalé Bagoyoko and Marie V. Gibert from the Institue of Devlopment Studies discusses how the European Union’s agenda in Africa has progressively integrated governance and security elements. This paper argues that this agenda is at least as much determined by the bureaucratic and national affiliations of the concerned EU actors as it is by African realities and international trends. African security indeed triggers a competition between the different European institutions, eager to be the driving force for a policy that can offer some additional resources and autonomy.
Download the paper – pdf
Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung et al report on EU-Africa Strategy
The report ‘Global Structural Policy for Africa’s Development?’ is the result of a conference organised by the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, terre des homes and World Economy, Ecology & Development (WEED) in Berlin in April 2006 focusing on the EU Strategy for Africa. Questions discussed include: To what extent is this strategy a step forward, rather than a shopping list of already existing approaches? What are its strengths and weaknesses? Is the strategy likely really to make EU policies relating to Africa more coherent?
Read more on WEED’s website.
Views on involvement of parliaments
Two members of the Pan-African and the European Parliaments have commented on the involvement of the parliaments in the context of the EU-Africa Strategy.
Ms Saida AGREBi is a Tunisian member of the Pan-African Parliament. She is also President of the Tunisian Mothers Association, and member of the UN and AU ECOSOCC etc… In her contribution, Ms AGREBI argues that because of strong historical relations and mutually beneficial experiences, the Pan-African Parliament and its European counterparts should keep enhancing their collaboration. Read her contribution.
Ms Glenys Kinnock is a British member of the European Parliament. She is the co-chair of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly. In her contribution Ms Kinnock argues that Parliaments and especially national Parliaments should be involved in the follow up of EU-Africa relations. Read her contribution.
The official negotiations
African and European experts met for a drafting committee from 10 to 14 September At a recent meeting of the European Council ad hoc working group the representatives of the Presidency and the Commission reported consequent progress has been made during the last meeting of the drafting committee. The Strategy has been further elaborated on the basis of the outline adopted on 15 May by the EU-Africa Ministerial Troika.
The Action Plan that will be endorsed with the Joint Strategy is also being drafted. Eight priority partnerships have been identified so far: peace and security; democratic governance and human rights; trade and regional integration; achieving the MDGs; energy, climate change; migration, mobility and employment; and science, information society and space. These partnerships will be implemented in the next two years while some specific priorities have been identified for each of them to facilitate their implementation.
See the calendar below for more details on the timetable of the negotiations.
The public consultation
Civil society consultation in Southern Africa organised by ActionAid and MWENGO
Representatives of Civil Society organisations and social movements met in Lusaka, Zambia on the occasion of the SADC Heads of State Summit in mid-August. They express concern over the current process, content and context of the Joint Africa-EU strategy. Points made include on the Strategy’s relationship between its focus on achievement of MDGs and the pursuit of concluding neo-liberal Economic Partnership Agreements by December 2007. Participants recommended that the strategy must go beyond these frameworks and give clear timelines and indicators of progress. Recommendations were also given on debt-cancellation, increased aid-levels and progress on agriculture, food-security and environment. Read more.
AfriMAP call for papers on governance in the Joint Strategy
AfriMAP (Africa Governance Monitoring and Advocay Project) invites submission of papers on the proposed Joint EU-Africa Strategy, in particular about the focus on governance and human rights within the strategy. Read more.
Meetings of EPLO and CONCORD with the European Council ad hoc working group
Two ad hoc working group meetings have taken place in September, both with CSO representatives present for part of the meeting to discuss with Member States, the Council and the Commission.
On 5 September EPLO, the European Peace building Liaison Office, was invited to discuss peace and security issues as well as cross-cutting issues, such as the implementation and monitoring of the Strategy and the new institutional architecture. Read more.
The following meeting took place on 20 September. CONCORD, the European NGO Confederation for Relief and Development, was invited and the discussions evolved around four topics: 1)The Strategy and the Action Plan in the broader context of EU-Africa relations; 2) An update on the drafting process; 3) The Lisbon Summit; and 4) Civil society involvement in the Strategy and its monitoring. Read more.
The next meetings of the ad hoc working group are planned for 18-19 October and 8 November (tbc).
Position papers
- The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has submitted a contribution focusing on human rights in Africa, and particularly on the protection of human rights defenders. In addition they have submitted a position paper on Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) and human rights. Read more.
Please send any papers or information you would like to share to: europafrica@ecdpm.org
Related events
In October several regional youth consultations will take place in Africa. See the website of the North-South Centre for more details.
Official negotiations calendar
8-10/10 Drafting Committee and joint expert troika meeting in Addis Ababa
15-16/10 Drafting Committee in Addis Ababa (tbc)
26-27/10: Joint Expert Troika Meeting in Accra
28-30/10: Senior Official meeting in Accra
31/10: EU-Africa Ministerial Troika in Accra
Public events
5/10: The European Union’s financing in the energy sector in Africa organised by WEEDs, Both ends, Les amis de la terre, Terre des
hommes, Bankwatch network, Campagna della Reforma della Banca Mondiale, Bretton Woods project in Berlin.
15/10: ‘African Voices in EU-Africa relations‘ organised by BOND (London)
19-21/10: African civil society seminar (Accra) organised by the African Union Commission (tbc)
7-9/11: European Development Days on climate change (Lisbon)
7/11: ‘Strengthening Euro-African Partnerships – The Role of Parliaments’: meeting of Parliamentarians from Europe and Africa (AWEPA and the North-South Centre; Lisbon)
15-17/11: Civil Society Forum on Euro-African Dialogue organised by the Portuguese Development NGO platform (Lisbon)
15-17/11: Euro-African Parliamentarian Forum organised by the North South Centre (Lisbon) (tbc)
30/11: Meeting between members of Pan African Parliament and European Parliament in Lisbon. The meeting should result in a joint declaration that will be presented by the two Presidents to the Heads of State at the Lisbon Summit (tbc).
4-7/12: EU-Africa Youth Summit (Lisbon)
8-9/12: EU-Africa Summit of Heads of States and Governments (Lisbon)
Please let us know of any events that you are planning, so we can put them in the calendar.
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