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 twelfth 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
News:
EU-Africa ministerial meeting in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt
On 5 December ministers from Africa and Europe met in Egypt to agree on the final preparations for the Heads of State and Governments Summit which will take place this week-end, 8-9 December. The preparatory meeting agreed on the agenda of the Lisbon summit as well as the Lisbon Declaration, the Africa-EU Strategy and the Action Plan, that all should be endorsed at the Summit.
The Lisbon Declaration states that: “The EU/Africa Summit, which gathers the European Union and the African Union, offers us a unique opportunity to face together today’s challenges in our continents, in the year when we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the European integration and the 50th anniversary of the beginning of African independence.”
A final communiqué that stresses the importance of the strategic relationship between Europe and Africa was also approved during the meeting.
Read more.
Preparations of the Lisbon Summit
A section on the europafrica website provides links to recent news and views on the upcoming EU-Africa Summit. The Portuguese Presidency of the EU, the African Union and the European Commission have also set up webpages providing information.
According to the African Union the main themes of the summit agenda will be: 1) Governance and human rights; 2) Peace and security; 3) Migration; 4) Energy and climate change; 5) Trade, infrastructures and development.
African and European intellectuals raise questions about Lisbon summit
As the EU-Africa Summit approaches protests against Zimbabwe President Mugabe’s attendence are raised in Europe and Africa. This
includes a group of prominent writers, including Nobel Prize winners Günter Grass and Nadine Gordimer, which have accused European and African leaders of political cowardice by failing to put the Zimbabwe and Darfur crises high on the agenda of the EU-Africa Summit.
Read more.
Mugabe on the agenda of the Lisbon Summit?
Neither Zimbabwe nor any other country is expected to be listed as a separate agenda item at the EU-Africa Summit. Last week the SADC (including South Africa, Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania as well as Zimbabwe) countries threatened to pull out of the summit if that would be the case. Opinions among European leaders about Mugabe attending the Summit are still strong, and recently Spain has backed Britain in calling for Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe to stay away from the summit.
Read more.
Trade tensions could overshadow EU-Africa summit
A row over new trade rules risks souring the mood at this weekend’s EU-Africa summit and underlines the problems Europe faces in forging new relations with its former colonies, according to analysts.
Read more.
Zimbabwean youth at Youth Summit
Nations participating in the EU-Africa Summit all have youths from their countries attending the summit which begins today and ends on the 7th of December. According to an article by zimbabwejournalists.com youths from Zimbabwe will push for the discussion of the human rights situation in Zimbabwe, the economic situation, land reform, the SADC-Thabo Mbeki initiative and opportunity creation for the youths.
Civil society side events
Several events are planned in Lisbon before and during the summit, including a youth summit, an alternative summit by NGOs, a business forum and an EP-PAP meeting. Most of the events intend to submit declarations to the EU-Africa Summit. See the related events section at the end of the bulletin for more information about the events. See also the section on the europafrica website which lists the side events and links to more information where available.
‘Non-official’ side events
Apart from the civil society events, several events are planned by for example the World Bank, UNCTAD, the African Development Bank and several African and European governments. The topics include: Partnerships for a Green Revolution in Africa (pdf format); Meeting on Health Dimensions of the EU-Africa Strategy (pdf format); Maximising Benefits from Natural Resources (pdf format); Governance and Corruption Issues in Africa (pdf format). See the Portuguese Presidency website for more information.
Koen Vervaeke as EU Special Representative to the African Union
Koen Vervaeke has been appointed as both the European Union’s Special Representative and Head of the European Commission delegation to the African Union. The decision was endorsed yesterday by the Council and welcomed by Louis Michel and Javier Solana. This EU representation/EC delegation will have an instrumental role in ensuring an increased coherence of EU policies towards the AU in the framework of the joint Africa-UE Strategy to be approved in Lisbon. It will also serve as a precedent for the future European external action service.
Read more.
Conference: ‘Continental shift? The EU-Africa Summit: opportunities and challenges’
Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid spoke at the conference ‘Europe-Africa: the indispensable partnership’ organised by the EPC (European Policy Center) in Brussels on 30 November. He spoke of the forthcoming EU-Africa Summit as offering an opportunity for a “fundamental” change in EU-Africa relations, moving from one of “donor-beneficiary” to one based on an equal trading partnership. Europe has let the memory of its colonial relationship with Africa prevent it from being more “pro-active”. Instead of seeing Africa as a continent of “difficulties”, it must instead see it as a “new frontier”.
Read more.
Creating a true and equal partnership between Europe and Africa?
One week before the EU-Africa Summit takes place in Lisbon, experts invited by the Friedrich-Ebert Foundation and WEED met on 29 November 2007 in Berlin to discuss the challenges ahead of a true EU-African Partnership.
Participants in the Berlin conference discussed whether institutions on both continents are prepared to take the EU-Africa relations to a new higher level and they questioned if the new cooperation is going to be a true partnership between equals.
Read more.
The public consultation
Position by GCAP: ‘No to Africa-EU Strategy based on unfair trade deals’
European and African members the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP), have united to warn Heads of State not to build the new strategy on unfair trade deals.
Read more.
Position by Geneva Call
Geneva Call have submitted a paper in which they appeal the EU and the AU to further support these efforts and promote the case for NSA engagement towards compliance with international humanitarian law (IHL) and human rights.
Read more.
Message from Catholic bishops of Europe and Africa
The Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE) and the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences in Africa and Madagascar (SECAM), have reflected on “the new forms of slavery, the new faces of poverty and the new patterns of exploitation in our world”, and submitted a message to the Heads of States and Governments from Africa and Europe.
Read more.
‘What does Africa need from the west?’
Nigerian policy centre Africa Political and Economic Strategic Center (Afripol) has published an article questioning the role of aid in achieving development. The article discusses good governance, anti-corruption legislation, promotion of peace and conflict resolutions and free and balanced trade.
Read more.
Related events
4-5/12: Joint EU-Africa Council of Ministers (Sharm-el-Sheik, Egypt), to prepare for the EU-Africa Summit.
8-9/12: EU-Africa Summit of Heads of States and Governments (Lisbon)
Civil society side events to the Summit
4-7/12: EU-Africa Youth Summit (Lisbon). Will adopt a declaration to present to the Lisbon summit. Over 250 youth representatives from Europe and Africa will be present at the summit which aims to increase young people’s participation in the Euro-African Cooperation and to reinforce youth work in Africa and Europe influencing the youth policy in Euro-African Cooperation.
6-7/12: 9th EU NGO Forum on Human Rights (EU Presidency and the Commission; Lisbon). The main objective of this annual forum is to bring together the EU institutions and Civil-Society Organizations (CSO’s) to promote mainstreaming of human right as well as to promote discussion in this field.
6-7/12: ‘Space for Development: the case of GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) and Africa’ (Organised under the auspices of the Portuguese presidency; Lisbon).
6/7:’Linking Human Rights and Development – A strategy for Africa’ (Amnesty International; Lisbon). The conference will discuss the topics: the challenge of ‘good governance: tackling human rights issues’; ‘advocating human rights in Africa’; and ‘a strategy for EU – Africa cooperation’. It is organised with the support of Ana Gomes, Member of the European Parliament.
7/12: EP/PAP interparliamentary meeting (Lisbon) – will present joint declaration on the strategy at the summit.
7/12: Delegation of European and African Mayors meeting with EC president Barroso. (Council of European Municipalities and Regions; Lisbon)
7/12: EU-Africa Business Summit (Lisbon). The Business Summit will bring together African and European business leaders, aiming to reinforce the economic dimension of the relationship between Africa and the EU and to urge the political leaders to pursue a structured political dialogue.
7-9/12: Alternative Summit: ‘Alternatives for Africa-Europe‘ (organised by Portuguese CSOs; Lisbon, Portugal). According to the press release: “they will alert political leaders and public opinion of the two continents to the disasters caused by trade competition, economic exploitation of ecosystems, restrictive migration policies and contempt of the most fundamental economic and social rights”. The alternative summit will be composed of a number of cultural events in various sites around Lisbon, as well as discussions on: Ecology, Natural Resources, Agriculture and Food Sovereignty; Migration; Economic Development and Trade; Human Rights.
Please let us know of any events that you are planning, so we can put them in the calendar.
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