The Communication “ Follow-up to the Africa-EU-Lisbon Summit: engaging the Commission in a partnership of results” tries to inform about the measures that need to be in place for the implementation of the commitments of the Lisbon Summit. It focuses on the political and institutional arrangements both at Commission, EU and African levels, required to ensure the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU- Strategy and its Action Plan. It also explains the existing conditions and action to take for the full and sustainable establishment of the new EU delegation to the African Union (AU) as a major instrument for the implementation of the Joint Strategy and the deepening of relations between the EU and AU and their respective Commissions.
The Communication reveals that at service level, DG DEV, RELEX and AIDCO, acting in synergy and according to their respective mandates, will ensure coherence and overall coordination of the Action Plan implementation process. The existing Commission Africa inter-service task force will be strengthened, in particular with a view to ensuring transparency, the smooth flow of information and the early identification of issues that could possibly touch the institutional competence of the Commission. Thus it proposes that the Task force meets once a month and should be composed of one permanent representative for each DG sharing the responsibility for the implementation of one of the 8 partnerships of the Joint Strategy or involved in a specific cooperation with the African Union Commission. The inter-service task force should ensure the coherence and synergy between the 8 thematic partnerships of the first Action Plan. It should also act as a central coordinating body at Commission’s level notably in the preparation of the annual meetings between the Commission and the AU College, as well as of the six-monthly meetings of the Joint Task Force which bring together the services of the AUC and the EC (+ extended to the EU Council Secretariat for second pillar matters).
With regard to the Council structure, the communication stipulates that there are two scenarios under consideration: (1) the creation of a Brussels-based, cross-pillar working group, with a mandate covering both Sub-Saharan (ACP) and North African countries, as well as Pan-African issues including relations with the AU and its institutions, the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and its Action Plan, and the preparation of Africa-EU Ministerial meetings and Summits. This group, which would work in parallel with the existing Africa Working Group (COAFR) and would build on the experience of the current Ad-Hoc working group, and would enable the EU to – on a permanent basis – examine and discuss EU relations with Africa in a systematic and coherent way. The second (2) option would be to revise the mandate and working modalities of the existing Africa Working Group (COAFR) which would cover Northern Africa, sub-Saharian Africa and pan-African issues. This group could work closely and hold joint sessions with the Maghreb/Mashrek working group. Such a reform would enable the EU to – on a permanent basis – examine and discuss EU relations with Africa in a systematic and coherent way and translate into practice the principle of treating Africa as one as it has been agreed in the joint Africa-EU Strategy.
For each of the eight partnerships, “implementation teams” will be set up and will form the EU component of the future joint African-EU informal experts groups. The EU implementation teams would -as a matter of principle– be open to all committed Member States. The coordination of the group would be in the hands of one or two lead Member States..
With regard to the financial matters, the communication reviews that half of this ODA scaling-up should be allocated to Africa. This means that EU collective ODA for Africa should increase from €19.9 billion in 2005 to €31.3 billion in 2010. As far as the Joint Africa-EU Strategy is concerned, its implementation will be supported by existing financial instruments in accordance with their respective scope and their relevance to the objectives and activities concerned, such as the European Development Fund (EDF), the Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI), the European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument (ENPI), the Instrument for Stability, as well as the Thematic a Communication scheduled in the Commission’s Work Programme for October 2008 as a key contribution to the broader EU annual progress report due by the end of 2008.
The Communication also highlights the possibilities for interaction with Non State Actors on the implementation of joint Strategy, including a mapping of Non State Actors and an invitation for some representatives to attend the bi-annual Ministerial Troikas.
The progress on the implementation of the Joint Strategy and the eight partnerships will be reviewed though take place in Sirte, Libya in 2010 and during the bi-annual Ministerial Troika meetings. The communication provides a table of the allocations of the EU countries in the different partnerships of the Joint Strategy and Action Plan.
