This is the first issue of the Europafrica bulletin, which will give you an up-date on the public consultation for a joint EU-Africa Strategy. It includes news that has been posted on the web site, as well as a summary and quotes from your comments and contributions.
News
Great start of the consultation!
In just three weeks this web site on the preparation of a joint EU-Africa Strategy has had over 2060 unique visitors and received 100 comments. At this stage contributions have arrived mainly from individuals, originating from: Belgium, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Congo (DR), Ethiopia, France, Gabon, Ghana, Italy, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Netherlands, Nigeria, Portugal, Senegal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Uganda and Zambia. Various institutions, Non State Actors’ networks and media have disseminated the information.
Read report from first week.
Events coming up
For more events, see the complete calendar.
Institutional negotiations
The European and African experts have met in an EU-Africa expert meeting on the 19-23 of February, where they started to discuss the content of the joint strategy. Since ECDPM, as a facilitator of this process, wants to ensure an optimal linkage between the public debate and the official negotiation, ECDPM has submited the initial comments and ideas presented on the web site to the official negotiators.
Summary of public contributions
On the consultation process
Generally, comments on the initiative to consult civil society on the new strategy have been positive. However, several contributors noted the challenge of ensuring full and equal participation by non-state actors from Africa and some doubted whether the concerns raised in the comments would be taken into account by decision makers. Suggestions were made to move away from rather traditional forms of consultation, for instance by allowing for the inclusion of African media. Some European NGOs questioned whether the process leading to the adoption of a joint Strategy will leave enough time for Africa to agree on its own expectations of its relationship with the EU. The European party has already gone through a thinking process on this matter with the adoption of the EU Strategy for Africa in 2005. European NGOs are thus keen in supporting their African partners to the extent possible to ensure an extensive participation.
- “The participative approach is without a doubt best suited to mobilise diverse ideas …but it does not guarantee ownership of the process”, Jean-Jacques Quairiat (Belgium).
On the shared vision: Call for a new political partnership
Many interesting contributions have been formulated on the shared vision. A call for real change in the EU-Africa relationship has been quite strongly voiced in several comments. Yet how to achieve this? Several valuable proposals were made including : (i) to start with an assessment of what works and what does not work in the present EU-Africa relationship; (ii) to acknowledge the differences between the regions; (iii) to base the ‘new’ EU-Africa partnership on a new set of principles (e.g. respect and equality); (iv) to acknowledge both continents’ requirements and to redefine common interests; (v) to rethink EU-Africa relations in non aid related matters as a way of entering into a new kind of partnership.
- “To be absolutely honest and fair to both Euro-African Leaders, there is hardly any ‘shared vision’! … The vision must be redefined and owned.” Victor Onoviran (Nigeria)
- “For the best of this strategy we must to go back to the very questions, such as, what is working and what is not working in Africa-EU partnership and why so? What are the causes behind the failure.” Silvestre Baessa Jr . (Mozambique)
- “We have to do the public debate and awareness raising on very fundamental issues that matters and affects Africa and Europe…” Eyachew Tefera (Slovenia)
- “The common interests in the partnership need to be raised. Both continents’ requirements need to be taken into consideration, and priorities mutually agreed. Catherine Kithinji (Kenya)
Other issues raised: Have the courage to move beyond traditional approaches…
Efforts to promote governance should strive to find ways to empower civil society and also pay attention to the local dimension of development (including the role and added value of local governments). A wide range of ‘old’ development concerns were seen to merit renewed attention, including Infrastructure, human capital, agriculture, water, capacity building and environment. Among the ‘new’ topics, the proper management of migration was a recurring theme, especially the issue of brain drain. A number of commentators demanded critical evaluation of past aid and debt initiatives. Trade should take place on an equal footing.
- “At a stroke of removing CAP, and granting African countries special and differential treatment in accessing EU markets, policy makers can “make poverty history” and reduce illegal migration that is wrecking both Africa and Europe”, Andrew Allimadi (Ethiopia)
- “Africa’s problem…concerns the spread of a number of clichés, including the one of Africa as one and indivisible…In fact, the region provides the true platform where knowledge of cultural sensitivities can be put to good use, which is necessary to understand the continent’s major issues”, Amandine
See all comments posted since the start of the consultation.
Debate!
At this early stage of the public debate we would like to focus on the agenda setting, concentrating especially on the shared vision.
- What works and what does not work in the present EU-Africa partnership?
- What kind of partnership do you want between the EU and Africa for the next 10 years?
- What are some of the key issues that the two Unions should prioritise and seek to tackle together in their cooperation?
- What are European and African common interests on which to base the Africa-EU partnership in the future?
- How can the fragmented Europe-Africa relationship be overcome to enter into a continent to continent relationship that has practical meaning and value for both parties?
Please join the debate at: http://www.europafrica.org
In ten days, we will launch more in depth discussions on each of the five topics on the basis of the issues you will have raised and that have emerged from the institutional negotiation.
The public consultation takes place on the internet, but is also spread across the two continents through different conferences and seminars. The aim is that the ideas generated through these events will be shared and further debated on the web site. Please let us know of any events that you are planning, so we can put them in the calendar.
Learn more about the consultation process:
Organisers of the consultation / Who can participate? / Why this consultation? / The basis for the consultation / Consultation timeline / Opportunities offered by the consultation / Limitations to the consultation / How will the consultation take place? / Getting progress updates / About the web site / How to participate
How is the public consultation linked to the institutional negotiation?
I think there is a need for paradigm shift in terms of drafting EU-African strategy. the role of private sector is critical in any development strategy therefore there is a need for continous consultation with the private sector.
we need to rethink our strategies and policies and we have to cope-up with modernisation. The private sector should play a catalytical role in spearheading this strategy therefore lets involve in the initial consultation their views and suggestions in this process is critical because they own resources and wealth of knowledge about how market works in the circumstances of goverment failure private sector intervenes to correct goverment failures.
Responding to the question 1 what works and what does not work.
One important aspect is that there is a political will and willingness to cooperate on bothsides.what does not work is getting right fundamental principles to cooperate in place.