www.europafrica.org

The Africa-EU Joint Strategy was approved at the Lisbon Summit in December 2007 after a year of negotiations and a public consultation. The key challenge will now be the implementation of the Strategy. As previously announced, the europafrica website will also move a step further- from the consultation to the implementation phase of the Strategy, in particular by providing regular information and analysis on the various dimensions of the Action Plan and contributing to facilitate the dialogue on how to operationalise the commitments contained in the joint Strategy.

While we are still in the process of transforming the website, we would like you to be informed about the current issues on EU-Africa Relations. Thus, the europafrica bulletin will be sent out once a month to keep you on track. This is the seventeenth issue of the Europafrica bulletin (click here for the previous issues), which will give you an up-date on the public consultation for a joint EU-Africa Strategy. The bulletin is issued 1-2 times per month. Subscribe by sending an e-mail to: europafrica@ecdpm.org

News

African Union discussed the establishment of the Government of the African Union
The Committee meeting of chiefs of state and government have elaborated a draft timetable for the establishment of the Government of the African Union (AU), last Thursday the 23rd of May, in Ngurdoto, Tanzania. At the meeting, Presidents Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, Umaru Yar’Adua of Nigeria, Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Yoweri Museveni of Uganda have been present.
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African Union, regional bodies to debate on migration issues in Addis
The African Union(AU) Commission has organized a regional forum on migration issues held at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa on Monday, the 12 of May that was funded by the EC as a part of EU-Africa dialogue.
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First concrete plans on the Partnership on Science, Information Society and Space of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy
African ministers of science and technology and the European Union have jump-started the EU-Africa strategic partnership on science and IT and agreed to coordinate ICT development plans in Africa.
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11th Extra-Ordinary Session of the Executive Council on the Audit Report of the African Union
The Executive Council of Foreign Ministers of the African Union (AU) met on Tuesday, the 6-7 May, 2008 in Arusha, Tanzania to discuss the Audit Report that was published in the beginning of the year 2008.
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11th AU Summit: Key Issues of the Agenda
The 11th Summit of the African Union will be held in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt under the theme of “Meeting the Millennium Development Goals on Water and Sanitation’’. The first important dossier of this new AUC is to manage the discussion on the outcome of the Audit of the African Union that strongly recommended the strengthening of the commission. Read more on the agenda.
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Report on the ACP- EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Nambia, 28 - 30. April 08
The fifteen members of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (ACP-EU JPA) from the SADC member states and their fifteen European Parliamentary counterparts, met in Windhoek, Namibia on 28 and 29 April 2008, under the Co-Presidency of Co- Presidents Glenys Kinnock and Wilkie Rasmussen. This was the first ever regional Meeting of the ACP-EU JPA to be organised under Article 17.3 of the Cotonou Agreement and Article 6 of the ACP-EU JPA Rules of Procedure.
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Report on the ACP- EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Nambia, 28 - 30. April 08
The fifteen members of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (ACP-EU JPA) from the SADC member states and their fifteen European Parliamentary counterparts, met in Windhoek, Namibia on 28 and 29 April 2008, under the Co-Presidency of Co- Presidents Glenys Kinnock and Wilkie Rasmussen. This was the first ever regional Meeting of the ACP-EU JPA to be organised under Article 17.3 of the Cotonou Agreement and Article 6 of the ACP-EU JPA Rules of Procedure.
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AU-CSO Pre-Summit meeting in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt from 17 till 19 June 2008
The AU commission is organizing a AU-CSO Pre-Summit meeting in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt from 17 till 19 June 2008. The Pre-Summit gives African CSOs the possibility to raise inportant issues relevant to the AU Summit in Egypt in July 2008 and thus make significant contributions and inputs. In addition, both CIDO and the ECOSOCC Standing Committee will present a balance sheet of their activities for audit by the wider Civil Society community.
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EP has organized a debate on China’s involvement in Africa on 22.04.08
In a report on the effects of China’s growing presence in Africa that was published this year, the EP Development Committee stresses China’s investment with no strings attached in African countries ruled by oppressive regimes. This policy helps perpetuate human rights violations, say MEPs in the committee, who also highlight Beijing’s role in the spread of arms and the conditions under which natural resources are being exploited.
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Handing over ceremony of the old Commission to the recent new elected Commission at the headquarters of the AU in Addis
The handing-over ceremony between the out-going Commission and the new Commission, which was elected on 2nd February 2008, has taken place on Monday 28 April 2008, at the headquarters of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
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Readings
Louis Michel, EU Development Commissoner, hold a speech on “Infrastructures for Africa” – Brussels Enterprises Commerce and Industry. He speaks about the Action Plan on Infrastructure in the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and expresses the current need for policies for African infrastructure.

Francis Ameyibor (Ghana News Agency) describes Challenges and Expectations of the upcoming AU Summit in Egypt. He claims that Africans on the Continent and those in the Diaspora are anxiously waiting for the outcome of the 11th AU Summit, whether it would be a talking shop for Heads of State and Government and an opportunity for them to renew their friendship or an action oriented summit that would have far reaching effects on the citizen.

Events

30/05/2008 2nd meeting of ACP Ministers in charge of Asylum, Migration and Mobility in the ACP Secretariat (Brussels, Belgium)

02-03/06/2008 RELEX Conference on European Neighbouring Policy

03/06/2008 EU Troika – Republic of South Africa (Brussels, Belgium)

03/06/2008 COREPER I (Brussels, Belgium)

03/06/2008 Political and Security Committee (PSC) (Brussels, Belgium)

04.06.2008 COREPER I (Brussels, Belgium)
04.06.2008 COREPER II (Brussels, Belgium)

03-04/06/2008 Conference: “Development Assistance Operators from the EU New Member States: Experiences, Trends and Challenges”

06.06.2008 Political and Security Committee (PSC) (Brussels, Belgium)

06/2008 Lome to host ACP-EU inter-parliamentary conference on poverty reduction

12-13/06/2008 33rd Session of the ACP-EC Joint Council of Ministers (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia)

17.06.2008 EU Troika – African Union (Luxembourg)

02-03/10/2008 6th Summit of ACP Heads of State and Government (Accra,Ghana)

11/2008 2nd Regional Meeting for the Pacific Region of the ACP Group, which will be hosted by Vanuatu in the wake of the 16th Session of the ACP-EU JPA that will be held in Port Moresby, (Papua New Guinea)

In an article in the European Voice, an African diplomat is quoted to welcome the joint strategy: “This is what Africa has been asking for. We do not want to always have this relationship of donor recipient.” The article refers to the 2005 EU Strategy for Africa which received critisism of not consulting African countries and NGOs. “This has to be a joint strategy, so it cannot ignore the African concerns,” said the African diplomat, “We want to move to a real partnership.”

Hussaini Abdu, the Regional Governance Coordinator for Africa of ActionAid International, expressed his concern, however. “There is a real structural imbalance in relations between the EU and Africa, you can have all the rethoric, speeches and joint strategies you like, but as long as the EU funds the partnership there is a structural imbalance. Europe has to accept it has a moral commitment to contribute to African development, without conditions.”

Source:
European Voice Vol. 13 No. 18 - 10 May 2007. “Joint EU-Africa strategy to fight poverty”

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The outline of the joint EU-Africa Strategy as approved at the Ministerial Troika Meeting on 15 May is now available.

Download the outline - pdf
Download the final communique from the meeting - pdf

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The International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) held a conference on the 18-20 May 2007 in Johannesburg, South Africa on the Euro-African Dialogue. It was held in preparation for the EU-African Youth Summit which is due to take place at the end of 2007. The final declaration includes the following topics:

• Our Common Fight for Decent Work for Young People
• Struggling for Peace and Reconciliation
• Globalisation: Our Struggle for a fair and just solution for all
• Democratisation and Good Governance
• Continuing the Partnership for Development

Download the declaration in full - doc

See contributions by other organisations here.

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The Cameroon Association for the Protection and Education of the Child (CAPEC) organized a two day Danish/Cameroon Youth Intercultural Workshop under the Theme: Youth participation in poverty Alleviation from the 26th – 27th of April in Yaoundé. This cross cultural forum between Cameroonian and Danish youths sought to reinforce the possibilities for cooperation and dialogue between Danish and Cameroonian youths. It aim was also to strengthen individual and organizational capacities for youth participation in development, thus creating a unique space for youth participation in the evolvement of Euro-African partnership. The training also focused on the up-coming Africa-Europe Youth Summit.

Download the report - doc

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