Everything you always wanted to know about… the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership!

1. Everything you always wanted to know about…the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership! What is it? How does it relate to Cotonou? What are the eight thematic partnerships? How does it work? Which role for the civil society? Conclusion: progress since Lisbon & main challenges ahead European Commission- DG Development Panafrican issues and institutions, governance and migration

2. 1. What is it?Context: evolving Africa-EU relations II. Africa-EU Summit,Lisbon: Adoption of the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership I. Africa-EU Summit, Cairo Adoption EU Strategy for Africa III. Africa-EU Summit,Libya (tbc) 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 Launch NEPAD EU enlargement Mid-term review Implementation instit. architecture Africa-EU Partnership Establishment African Union

3. 1. What is it? A new strategic framework Principles: • A jointly developed & shared long-term vision • A partnership between equals, moving away from the traditional donor – beneficiary relation • Political dialogue • on issues of common concern (eg. peace & security) • on key issues for development (eg. governance) • seeking joint responses to global challenges (eg. energy; climate change) • promoting a broad-based and wide-ranging people-centred partnership • The Strategy goes beyond: • development cooperation (eg. sciences) • institutions (eg. non-state actors, civil society, private sector) • Africa (eg. international level: Poznan UNFCCC; London G-20) • Treating Africa as one (continent-to-continent approach) • EU test case for policy coherence, aid effectiveness, division of labour

4. 1. How does it relate to Cotonou? Institutional framework Treaty EC/Cotonou/ENP – ESDP – others EU/3rd pilar Multiannual programming European Consensus Political Dialogue Policy coherence for development Africa-EU Strategic Partnership

5. 2. What are the 8 thematic partnerships? Action Plan: 8 thematic Africa-EU partnerships for concrete action with tangible results 2008-2010: • Peace & Security • Democratic Governance and Human Rights • Trade, Regional integration & Infrastructure • MDGs • Energy • Climate Change • Migration, Mobility & Employment • Science, Information Society & Space

6. EP-PAP AU-EU civil society EESC-ECOSOCC 8 JEGs, 1 per Partnership 8 EU ITs, 1 per Partnership EU impl.team (EC,GSC,MS) Civil Society, Int’l. partners 3. How does it work? A complex, multilayered institutional architecture with multiple actors every 3 years Political guidance Summit Inputs Ministerial Troika(s) (MFA + ad hoc sectoral) 2 x / year Political dialogue, review, monitoring Annual progress review Senior Officials (EU-Troika + AU extended Troika) Expertise Joint report Joint Experts Groups (JEGs) (implementation engine & coordination body) AUC, AU MS, RECs

7. 4. Which role for Civil Society? (1/2) • A « people-centred » partnership (4th objective) • NSA role fully recognised (private sector; eco. & soc. partners, incl. trade unions; CSOs according to national characteristics) • Examples: • participation in JEGs, based on expertise and commitment; • CSOs representatives invited to express themselves ahead of Africa-EU Ministerial Troika meetings; • web portal to facilitate CSOs consultations; • mapping of EU and African CS networks; • platform for European and African research institutes and networks.

8. 4. Which role for Civil Society? (2/2) • Progress so far: • On the EU side: • EU CSOs interim Steering Group established to follow the Strategy • One contact organisation designated per partnership (cf. list) • Some CSOs involved in JEGs (P&S; DG&HR; MDGs) • Some other partnerships are only in a CSO consultation phase • Europe-Africa policy research network (EARN) established • On the AU side: • ECOSOCC has reactivated an AU CSO Steering Committee • On both Africa-EU side: • Some MS resistance to fully involve African CSOs in JEGs • Need for AU-EU CSOs to establish mutual contacts / bridges • Forum of African & EU CSOs ahead of next Min. Troika (sept. 09) (tbc)

9. 5. Conclusion: progress since Lisbon • Extended AU-EU political dialogue + cooperation • Setting up the institutional architecture (incl. EU Delegation to the AU, Addis) • Innovative working arrangements (Impl.Teams and JEGs) = the biggest ever division of labour endeavour • Initial progress on substance in each of the 8 thematic partnerships (see above)

10. 5. Main challenges ahead: treating Africa as one Euro-Mediterranean Partnership with North Africa + Neighbourhood Policy Cotonou Agreement with sub-Saharan Africa Agreement on Trade, Development and Cooperation with South Africa

11. 5. Conclusion: main challenges ahead Africa-EU Ministerial Troika – Luxembourg, 28/04/09 (Communiqué) Joint Expert Groups invited to… • better integrate and mobilise contributions from: • Member States (AU/EU) • Regional Economic Communities (RECs) • European and Panafrican Parliaments • Economic and social committees (EESC, AU ECOSOCC) • Civil society (AU/EU) • Private sector (Africa-EU Business Forum) • Other international partners (UN, AfDB) • speed up implementation by the mid-term review (2009) • finetune and update roadmaps (priority actions state-of-play, timeframe, lead actors, financial aspects)

12. 5. Conclusion: main challenges ahead Funding • No specific / new ‘pan-African’ financial instrument (…yet) • Announced contributions from (EU and African) Member States still missing => Immediate solution = better / coordinated use of existing EC instruments: • EDF (intra-ACP; regional + national programming) • ENPI • Others : DCI (thematic programmes), IfS, EIDHR, etc. => Sept.-Oct. 2009: workshop on resources for the Strategy, with all actors concerned (Commissions, MS, RECs, other international partners)

13. More information… All key documents on: www.africa-eu-partnership.org Contribute to the blog on CS involvement in the Strategy, featuring a wealth of documents: http://africa-eu-partnership.org/blog Thanks for your attention!