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Second African CSO consultation on AU/EU joint Strategy, 19 October 2007 Issues arising from the Strategy and the Action Plan Marie-Laure de Bergh, ECDPM mdb@ecdpm.org. Introduction. Where do we stand in the official negotiation process ? Issues raised by the public consultation
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Second African CSO consultation on AU/EU joint Strategy, 19 October 2007 Issues arising from the Strategy and the Action Plan Marie-Laure de Bergh, ECDPM mdb@ecdpm.org
Introduction • Where do we stand in the official negotiation process ? • Issues raised by the public consultation • What is new in the joint EU-Africa Strategy? • Key issues for debate in the run-up to the Lisbon Summit
The negotiation process : where do we stand? • 2000 : Cairo Summit = 1st EU-Africa Summit • 2005 : EU Strategy for Africa • 2007: Start of the negotiations of the joint Strategy • 15 May : adoption of Joint Strategy Outline • Since June: drafting Strategy, Action Plan, Political Declaration • 31 October : adoption of joint Strategy and Action Plan at joint Ministerial Troika • 8-9 December : Lisbon Summit
Joint Strategy • Overarching discussion : Shared Vision & common interests • 4 objectives: • Beyond fragmentation : Treat Africa as one • Beyond development cooperation : political partnership • Beyond Africa : global challenges • Beyond institutions : people to people partnership • 4 clusters of topics • Peace & Security • Trade & Regional Integration • Governance, democracy & human rights • Key Development Issues
Action Plan Eight priority partnerships: • Peace and security • Democratic governance and human rights • Trade and regional integration • MDGs • Energy • Climate change • Migration, mobility and employment • Science, information society and space One cross cutting partnership : the institutional framework
Institutional architecture An upgraded institutional architecture: • Strengthened institutional dialogue • More frequent Summits, troika ministerial • EU representation in Addis • An more inclusive monitoring process for each of the partnerships, including CSOs
Issues raised by the public consultation • Consultation process : lack of inclusiveness, rushed, … • What will be the change in EU-Africa relations? • Added value compared to existing agreements and instruments • EPAs : Lisbon Summit high jacked by EPAs? • More pro-development European agricultural policy • Stronger integration of the role of civil society as a governance player, EU governance initiative, human rights • Promotion of conflict sensitive policies by the EU and Africa
Issues raised by the public consultation • Migration : outline focusing only on the Tripoli Declaration • Delivery of EU commitments in terms of ODA level and aid effectiveness : 10th EDF • African debt cancellation : double standards • Definition of concretecommitments to beef up the outline • Civil society “moving from consultation to involvement” : how will the monitoring mechanisms be conceived in order to involve civil society?
What is new? Compared to what? • First EU-Africa Summit (2000) • Existing agreements and instruments • New context • International context: security, migration, … • Birth of the African Union • EU enlargement • “New” partners in Africa: China, India… • Beyond fragmentation • 3 EU-Africa agreements and policies • MS bilateral policies
What is new? What is new in the joint EU-Africa Strategy? • A more political relationship • A continent to continent relationship • A people to people partnership • “Upgrading” the institutional architecture • Will it ensure a better delivery of commitments? What are the risks? • Will depend on the political will on both sides
What is new? So far, many principles on the Strategy but what about concrete commitments? • A more political relationship : already there but will the agenda be co-owned? • A continent to continent relationship: high principle but concrete commitments? • Pan-African envelope • Integration of the AU in relevant dialogue fora in order to ensure coherence and synergies among various partnerships => Are both Africa and the EU ready for a continent to continent relationship?
What is new? So far, many principles on the Strategy but what about concrete commitments? • A people to people partnership: • Possibility to take part in the monitoring process per partnership • How to make sure that this people to people partnership builds on what exists and is co-owned by CSOs? => CSOs engagement • “Upgrading” the institutional architecture: • Will it allow for another type of monitoring? More political, more inclusive? Real involvement of MS? • Does the action plan provide measurable commitments?
Key questions • What will be the agenda of the Summit ? • Will the Summit deliver on a real change on a few topics? • How will the monitoring of the implementation be structured? • How will the people to people partnership materialise? What place for civil society? • Are both partners ready to enter into a continent to continent relationship?
Thank you for your attention… www.europafrica.org www.europafrique.org