In a parliamentary question to the European Commission, Glenys Kinnock, member of the European Parliament and chairwoman of the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, questions how parliamentarians will be consulted on the joint EU-Africa Strategy. In his response, Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, describes the consultation process and welcomes further initiatives proposed by the parliament. He says:
- “As has been stressed in the EU Strategy for Africa and elsewhere, parliaments are the guarantors of democratic legitimacy and are key actors in European development policy. It is vital that the national, regional and continental parliaments of Africa should be consulted fully on the preparation of the Joint Strategy, but this is a process that must be initiated independently by our African partners. The Commission therefore wishes to urge Parliament to engage in dialogue with the Commission of the African Union to ensure that it actively consults the Pan-African Parliament as soon as possible on the development of the Joint Strategy. It is essential that the Pan-African Parliament should make its voice heard on its vision for the Joint Strategy and that it should provide the necessary positive momentum to enable the national and regional African parliaments to participate fully in the debates. Any joint action between the European Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament would be welcome in this regard.”
See the question and response in full on the European Parliament’s website – here
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