An article posted on the Business Daily website stated that Europe has been urged to harmonise its policy framework with Africa even as it announced assistance to help developing economies shield themselves from effects of the global financial crisis.
Analysts said though Europe had mooted ambitious support initiatives with Africa such as the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) and the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, their implementation remained disjointedness, thus leaving intended beneficiaries reeling with suspicion and a feeling of lack of progress.
“To date, despite diplomatic pledges, there has not been a lot of evidence of any systematic attempt to achieve coherence in practice,” Andrew Sherriff of the European Centre for Development Policy Management said.
Europe is currently negotiating new Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with countries under the ambit of the Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) bloc, to replace the then existent deals that expired in December 2007. Kenya and other East African Community (EAC) member states have already signed interim deals with Europe and anticipate to sign comprehensive EPA by the end of this year.
On the other hand Europe is also pursuing the JAES initiative whose strategy and its associated work plan, were adopted in Lisbon in December 2007, and designed to change the nature of relations between Africa and Europe.
It was formulated in response to geopolitical changes, globalisation and the process of integration in Africa and Europe with coherence with other policy frameworks is one of the key commitments.
The current framework of the JAES requires the EU to adapt its work procedures as EU-Africa relations go beyond traditional development policy-making into other areas such as climate change and migration.
The intention of this plethora of initiatives has however attracted its fair share of criticism amid concerns that Europe could inadvertently use them as a vehicle “to confuse and short change” Africa.
“The history of interaction between Africa and Europe is a long one. It is riddled with both success and significant failures,” Mr Sherriff told a forum in Nairobi to discuss the impact of the JAES initiative.
He said because of wider and far-reaching implications of some of the components of the JAES such as political pacts, there was need for in-depth consultations to avoid fall-outs or stagnation.
‘This does not mean that common ground must be found on all issue but rather that a robust dialogue promotes understanding and respect between Europe and Africa,” said the official.
Deliberate attempt
Prof Christa Randzio-Plath, an official with the Association of German Development NGOs (VENRO), said though it was premature to make an analysis of the JAES, it was imperative for its proponents to ensure transparency to help clear mistrust.
“There should be a deliberate attempt to bring in change that will help get past what we carried from the past,” she told Business Daily on the sidelines of the conference.
The existence of parallel initiatives with Africa have lately triggered suspicion in some countries especially with the latest swing in geo-politics pitting the west and Asian countries such as China, India and Japan.
With most developing countries fast shifting allegiance to the East, most initiatives from the west, however genuine they may be, have been received with scepticism amid suspicion that they may be “injurious” to developing nations.
A case in point has been the EPA negotiations in which member countries of the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) have maintained their grounds not to sign deals Europe for fear of being short changed.
The latest move in which the European Commission released a plan to help save developing countries from the effects of the global financial melt-down doesn’t seem to have gone down well with many, especially coming after widespread concerns that the resolutions of the recent G-20 Summit would not help Africa.
Some analysts have viewed Europe’s move as one aimed at “saving face” and help consolidate its efforts of convincing Africa to sign new EPAs with it.
Last week Europe announced that it would front load about €3 billion, or 72 per cent of its foreseen budget support to African, Pacific and Caribbean nations thereby ensuring that social spending is not forsaken when most needed.
It said the ad hoc “FLEX” instrument would compensate developing countries worst hit by falling export revenues as world trade contracts.
It will be on stream before the end of 2009, directing at least €500 million to allow developing countries to continue social safety net spending.
