ECDPM report of the event
The EU Presidency seminar on Africa was organised by AWEPA in cooperation with the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe and the Portuguese Parliament under the auspices of the Portuguese EU Presidency. The meeting was organised in parallel with the European Development Days and took place in the Portuguese Senate with a strong participation of African and European members of Parliament. It included members of the European and Pan-African Parliaments, representatives from the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA), the SADC Parliamentary Forum and the NEPAD contact Group of African Parliamentarians.
A panel was held on the Joint EU-Africa Strategy, where ECDPM was invited to participate together with European Commissioner Louis Michel and AU Ambassador to the EU, Mahamet Annadif. Michel stressed the innovative character of the Joint Strategy that marks a break with past partnership relations. He stressed the importance of EPAs and the new governance initiatives that will help to promote development in Africa. Michel was pleased with the consultative process that made an important contribution to the final text of the Joint Strategy. He admitted, however, that there could always be more consultation and awareness raising but that he wanted to get things done in his 5 years term as Commissioner and that consultations could not go on endlessly. Ambassador Annadif said to be pleased with the Joint Strategy and process. He raised some concern however, over the fact that the EU does not yet treat Africa as one. Questions were also raised over the monitoring and implementation process. ECDPM mainly addressed some sensitive issues that still need to be discussed, on the process and the content of the new EU-Africa partnership. Questions were posed on the necessary shift in partnership culture (mutual accountability, avoidance of unilateral decision-making), effective joint monitoring, adaptation of EU agreements and instruments to take account of Pan-African reality, coherence of EPAs with Pan-African integration, etc.
The 3 presentations were followed by reactions from MEP Johan Van Hecke, Alfa-Niaka Barry, SG NEPAD Forum for African Parliamentarians and Jean-Pierre Lola Kisanga, Senator of the DRC.
The subsequent debate, involving participants from various Parliaments, illustrated the overall lack of knowledge on the Joint Strategy in the world of Parliamentarians. A second panel in the afternoon dealt with Parliamentary oversight of ODA. The entire debates of the AWEPA EU Presidency seminar on Africa were transmitted on Portuguese TV in the evening hours.
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