The Relations between the EU and Africa Structures and Civil Society Participation Anke Kurat

1. The Relations between the EU and Africa Structures and Civil Society Participation Anke Kurat 24 May 2008 / Malta 1

2. Documents and Processes The Cotonou Agreement of 2000 The Africa EU Strategy of 2007 The European Neighbourhood Policy, Barcelona Process and Mediterranien Union Partnership Agreement with South Africa => Fragmentation 2

3. The Cotonou Agreement The Cotonou Agreement was signed in 2000, entered into force in 2002 for a duration of 20 years, to be revised every 5 years 15 EU + 79 ACP States (African, Caribean, Pacific) It replaced the Lomé Convention which had been the basis for EU-ACP development cooperation since 1975

4. Objectives Promote economic, cultural and social development with a view to contribute to peace and security, and to promote stable and democratic political environment Eradication of poverty Integration of ACP countries into the world economy Sustainable development

5. Main Priniciples Equality of partners and ownership of development strategies Participation: in addition to the central government, partnership is open to other actors, like civil society. Dialogue and mutual obligations (eg respect of human rights) Differentiation and regionalisation: cooperation agreements vary according to each partner‘s level of development 5

6. Institutions of the Cotonou Agreement • Joint Council of Ministers • Committee of Ambassadors • Joint Parliamentary Assembly • European Commission • ACP Secretariat 6

7. Participation of Civil Society • The Cotonou Agreement legitimises the participation of Civil Society as actors in the Cotonou process • Planning, implementation and political dialogue 7

8. Development Cooperation • Financial and technical assistance • Implemented at regional and national level • Tailored to each ACP country´s individual circumstances and needs • Fosters participation of the private sector and the civil society • Gives support to the ACPs´ own development strategies and promotes local ownership • Based on integrated strategies which interlink with economic, social, cultural, environmental and institutional policies to reflect the complex and multidimensional character of poverty

9. Trade Cooperation • For more than 25 years ACP-EU trade relations have been characterised by non-reciprocal trade preferences • But: no diversification of export, share of import from EU went down from 1976 to 2002 • Under the Cotonou Agreement non-reciprocal trade preferences will be replaced by a reciprocal trade regime, negotiated as Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs)

10. European Partnership Agreements (EPAs) Objectives: • To promote the smooth and gradual integration of ACP economies into the world economy • To enhance production, supply and trading capacities • To enhance diversification • To create new trade dynamics and foster investment • To improve the capacity of the ACPs to handle trade-related issues • To foster regional integration • => Development Instruments

11. European Partnership Agreements (EPAs) Schedule: • phase one started in September 2002 at all ACP-EU level with a view to agree on the main principles and objectives of EPAs • phase two envisages negotiations at regional level to develop detailed tariff reduction schedules and discuss a range of broader trade issues

12. European Partnership Agreements (EPAs) Status quo: • EPAs was scheduled to take effect in January 2008 • But: only 35 of 79 ACP-countries have already signed the agreement; 20 of the 35 countries only an intermediate agreement refer solely to commodities trade • Failure: because the EU tried to impose an agressive liberalisation policy; to negotiate not only the trade of goods, but issues like investment, services… • The ACP countries demanded an extension of time

13. Time for a new partnership? Why is Africa back on the Agenda of the EU? Sub-saharan Africa will probably not be able to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 Africa and Europe are connected by strong links. The EU is the biggest export market for African products China is a new player in Africa without conditionalities (not asking about human rights) 13

14. The EU Africa Strategy Endorsed by the EU in 2005 as an unilateral strategy encompassing the following issues: Peace and Security Human Rights and Governance Development Coooperation Economic Issues „human development“ => Attempt to overcome fragmentation of policies 14

15. The Joint Africa EU Strategy The Joint Africa EU Strategy was approved in December 2007 by Heads of States The summit was the second after Cairo in 2000 Since the Cairo summit in 2000 the political circumstances have changed: - Birth of the African Union Enlarged European Union Issues like security, migration and enviroment emerged on the agenda 15

16. The Joint Africa EU Strategy The strategy (long-term) will be implemented through short term action plans (three years) It is based on a consensus on values, common interests and strategic objectives The strategy should be a people centered partnership  Civil society on both continents play an important role The strategy should overcome the old donor/ recipient relations between Africa and Europe 16

17. The Action Plans Peace and security Democratic governance and human rights Trade and regional integration Millennium Development Goals Energy Climate change Migration, mobility and employment Science, information society and space 17

18. What is new in the Partnership? The strategy goes beyond traditional development cooperation, it comprises all policy issues that govern the relationsship between the two continents. Endorsed by the EU and AU This framework offers the possibility to overcome fragmentation, but: => Danger of instrumentalisation of development cooperation It is realistic to treat Africa as one? Is Civil Society participation taken serious? 18

19. The Implementation Structure Summit in Lisbon (next summit in 2010) Civil Society inputs Ministerial Troika(s) (biannual) EU-Troika (three presidencies) AU extented Troika (current presidency, AU Commission, some African Counries and) Political impetus and joint reports Senior Officials (EU-Troika + AU extended Troika) Political impetus and joint reports Informal Joint Expert Groups (one for each partnership) EU and Africa, one member state takes the lead), CS participation 19

20. Overall Challenge A huge range of actors: Member States in Europe and Africa, AU and EU Commissions, Civil Society in Africa and Europe (not only development), and other non state actors (private sector, research institutions, etc.) How to integrate ongoing work of other processes (EPAs, Mediterranean Union etc)? How to implement an equal partnership between unequal partners (trade)? 20

21. African Union Launched in South Africa in July 2002 The AU is part of the response of globalisation African leaders for the first time acknowledged the importance of citizen participatin in building the AU Spirit of a new Pan-Africanism Is succeeding the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) 21

22. Where do we stand at CONCORD? EU Africa Reference Group was set up to accompagny the Joint Strategy. This group sent delegates to the Interim Steering Group (informal group/wider civil society) The main objective is to prepare principles for the mapping of CSOs involvement in the implementation and monitoring of the Strategy and its first action plan 22

23. Principles for the implementation: African ownership Representativity of Civil Society People-centred Transparency Systematic and predictable (timelines, roles) Capacity building at all level (EU delegations, state actors) about CS work Communication and awarness raising Based on lesson learned 23

24. Problems The process is advancing fast and no meaningful CSO participation especially from Africa is guaranteed. Up to now, no ressources are made available. 24