The 3rd Coordination meeting of the EU Chefs de file and other stakeholders in the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) and its first Action Plan took place on 12 June 2009 in Brussels.
The Czech Presidency has released information on the official EC website about the outcomes of the 3rd Coordination meeting of the EU Chefs de file and other stakeholders in the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) and its first Action Plan, which took place on 12 June 2009 in Brussels. This was the last such meeting under the Czech Presidency who launched this EU coordination process. The Presidency proposed to Member states that they consider this summary also as the background document for the strategic debate on the JAES at the COAFR Capitals on 17 June 2009.
The EU Chefs de file of seven JAES Partnerships, Presidency, Commission, Secretariat and national coordinators and delegates of Sweden, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Portugal, Spain and United Kingdom attended the meeting.
The aim was to evaluate a progress achieved in last six months and discuss the way forward for the next semester in 2009. The Presidency summarised the outcomes from the last 12th Africa-EU Ministerial troika (28 April 2009, Luxembourg), where Ministers welcomed the progress made at both political and operational level.
At the Coordination meeting, the evolution of the political dialogue was particularly welcomed on conflict prevention, crisis management, coordinated response to unconstitutional changes of government and other crisis in Africa (emphasising inter alia the EU participation in ICGs on Mauritania, Madagascar, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Somalia). Other positive developments mentioned included the economic and financial crisis, Africa’s role in G20 follow-up, preparation for the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference and the area of human rights and the rule of law. The participants also emphasized the EU-AU Human Rights Dialogue (20 April 2009, Brussels) including the Civil Society meeting, which took place for the first time in its margin. It was welcomed positively the exchange between the AU Peace and Security Commissioner Lamamra and the EU PSC (22 April 2009); COAFR had formal meetings with the AU Ambassador to the EU Amb. Annadif (18 February 2009) and the Bureau of African Ambassadors (25 February 2009). The first enlarged Joint Task Force (17 – 18 March 2009, Brussels) was also appreciated as very useful and strengthening the effectiveness of the political dialogue at Brussels level. The JAES was also discussed under the Czech Presidency as one of the priorities during all Ministerial Troikas, namely with South Africa (16 January 2009, Cape Town), IGAD (31 March 2009, Brussels), Cape Verde (7 May 2009, Praia), Nigeria (9 June 2009, Prague) and ECOWAS (16 June 2009, Luxembourg). The Senior Officials meetings namely with US (27 February 2009, Brussels) and Canada (12 March 2009, Brussels) also included issues related to the Joint Strategy. The forthcoming dialogue with Japan (25 June 2009, Brussels) will raise the awareness about the JAES.
On the implementation level, the delivery of the draft evolving implementation Roadmaps of seven JAES Partnerships was considered as a very good achievement. The participants noted the current level of African partners´ participation in the different Partnerships, including African states, the AU as well as the RECs. It was underlined that it should be increased in most of the Partnerships in order to gradually correct the current asymmetrical approach in the follow up of the implementation Roadmaps. Only the Peace and Security Partnership is quite well balanced with participation of various stakeholders on both sides. The lack of response on the African side in nominating co-Chef de file of the 7th Partnership on Migration, Mobility and Employment was particularly highlighted. The Presidency and the Commission were invited, as appropriate to raise the issue in the margin of the upcoming AU Summit in Sirte.
Given the Ministers´ endorsement of the EP-PAP proposal, the European Parliament and Panafrican Parliament should be involved in the implementation of the JAES at all levels (Implementation Teams, Joint Expert Groups, enlarged Joint Task Force, meeting in the margin of the Ministerial Troikas, opening ceremony of the Africa-EU Summits). The EPPAP have a particular interest in the Partnerships for Peace and Security, Good Governance and Human Rights, Trade, Regional Integration and Infrastructure and MDGs.
The progress in the dialogue between the EU and African Civil Society and the first established contacts between the EU Civil Society Steering Group and the AU Civil Society Steering Committee (within the framework of the AU ECOSOCC) in May 2009 were well noted. As Ministers jointly agreed, the CSO representatives and JEG co-Chefs de file should speedily set up effective dialogue and cooperation mechanisms between them to ensure the participation on both sides during the next JEGs. The CSO and the EP representatives will also be invited to the next EU Coordination meeting.
The question of the involvement of other international partners and the private sector might be discussed in more detail next time. Participants at the Coordination meeting noted also the organisation of the EU-Africa Business Forum (24 – 26 September 2009, Kenya), which might be in competition with the timing of the Workshop on the resources aspects of the JAES and the enlarged Joint Task Force planned in Addis Ababa around the end of September. It was noted that the EU-Africa Business Forum is not covering all the African countries, but so far exclusively the sub-Saharan ones.
The Commission and the Secretariat were invited to elaborate a list of contacts of the RECs with a view to facilitating contacts between the RECs and the EU Chefs de file and promoting the new approach going more in depth from the pan-African level down in the RECs and African states structure. Demarches to RECs recognised by the AU CEN-SAD, ECOWAS, CEEAC, COMESA, SADC, EAC and IGAD) were made by HoMs under the Czech Presidency. All RECs replied positively; SADC and COMESA stated their commitment to participate in further JEGs and discuss the JAES with HoMs during the regular political dialogue. IGAD, ECOWAS and CEEAC want to pursue informal meetings with HoMs at local level to identify further priorities. EAC and IGAD welcome the tripartite dialogue EUAU-REC. SADC showed its interest in particular in Partnerships on Peace and Security, Good Governance and Human Rights, Trade, Regional Integration and Infrastructure and Climate Change, two more Partnerships would be identified in future. CEEAC was interested in the area of Peace and Security, Good Governance and Human Rights, Energy, Environment and Infrastructure. COMESA stated an interest in Energy as well as in the Trade, Regional Integration and Infrastructure Partnership. CEN-SAD was the only REC, which explicitly expressed its concern regarding the JAES. COMESA asked also for a time to clarify its mandate in line with the AU structure.
The core of the discussion remained the way to further refine all implementation Roadmaps, as Ministers invited JEGs to urgently do. It was agreed that all co-Chefs de file will take responsibility from now until the next enlarged Joint Task Force in September 2009 in Addis Ababa, and will lead all necessary discussions within the EU ITs, JEGs and with their respective African partners in order to ensure the completion of all parts in the implementation Roadmaps regarding the identification of activities, actors and timelines, including the state of play of currently ongoing, planned and proposed activities with clear financial implications, tackling shortfalls, ensuring the balanced European and African inputs in the Roadmaps and if possible, also the coherence between the JEGs where some thematic issues are overlapping. It was underlined that such joint implementation Roadmaps are evolving documents. They should be clear and operational.
Regarding the way ahead, the Commission presented the draft concept paper of the Workshop on the resources aspects of the JAES and the 1st Action Plan, which should contribute to a presentation and better understanding of all available and accessible financial and human resources on both African and European sides on the basis of the JAES Action plan provisions and guidelines agreed in Lisbon in 2007. The EU preparatory meeting will take place on 22 June 2009 in Brussels. The Workshop itself might take place in September 2009 in Addis Ababa back-to-back with the next enlarged Joint Task Force. The importance of participation of experts from relevant ministries and national development agencies at both meetings was underlined.
The main responsibility of JEGs co-Chefs de file ahead of the next Africa-EU Ministerial Troika on 14 October 2009 will consist in undertaking a mid-term assessment within the Partnerships with their respective counterparts and elaborate jointly the mid-term review for the second Annual Joint Progress Report, which will be submitted to Ministers. Such a midterm review might already take into account the upcoming triennial Africa-EU Summit, giving orientation on suitable priorities for the 2nd JAES Action Plan (2011-2013).
All EU Chefs de file were invited to use proactively the JAES website and update regularly and timely the calendar section with all their forthcoming events, in particular JEGs, which will bring a good visibility to the JAES in media and contribute to more flexible coordination among all JAES stakeholders in African and European capitals, Brussels, Addis Ababa and New York.
View the Czech Presidency’s Notice 06 to all JAES stakeholders (pdf)
