20 EU-South Africa Relations
| (27676)
11263/06
COM(06) 347
| Commission Communication: Towards an EU-South Africa Strategic Partnership
|
| Legal base | — |
| Document originated | 28 June 2006
|
| Deposited in Parliament | 10 July 2006
|
| Department | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
|
| Basis of consideration | EM of 12 July 2006
|
| Previous Committee Report | None
|
| To be discussed in Council | 15 September 2006 General Affairs and External Relations Council
|
| Committee's assessment | Politically important
|
| Committee's decision | Cleared, but further information requested
|
Background
20.1 In its introduction, the Commission describes South Africa
as "a country transformed" having built "a democratic,
tolerant and multiracial society" and having become "a
leading nation and a peace broker in the region and on the African
continent" with "authority not just in Africa but in
global multilateral institutions".
20.2 For its part, the Commission says, "an
enlarged EU has developed a new approach to North-South cooperation
by adopting three key policy papers on the Millennium Development
Goals, the European Consensus on Development and the EU Strategy
for Africa. It is strengthening its foreign action and seeks to
foster stability, security and prosperity worldwide. South Africa
therefore is a natural partner to Europe on the African continent
and on a global level."
20.3 There is already "a multifaceted, comprehensive
partnership based on the "Trade, Development and Cooperation
Agreement" (TDCA) between South Africa, the European Community
and its Member States. Today, however, the Commission says, relations
between South Africa and the EU require "more coherence,
clear objectives, and a shared forward-looking political vision
with a view to strengthening joint political action". The
partnership that the Commission advocates "needs to clearly
spell out what both sides can expect from one another on the domestic,
regional, continental and global fronts, and do justice to South
Africa's and the EU's unique positions in the new, globalised
world".
The Commission Communication
20.4 The purpose of this Communication is "therefore
to propose a comprehensive, coherent and coordinated long-term
framework for political cooperation" which would "do
justice to the role of South Africa as an anchor on the continent
and a key player on the international scene". The current
organisation of political dialogue is based on exchanges with
the EU Heads of Mission in Pretoria, regular visits by Ministers
and senior officials in both directions and the annual Cooperation
Council. In addition, exchanges between the European Parliament
and South African Parliament are held through the EP Delegation
for South Africa, and South Africa is an active participant in
the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. "This institutional
setup has been considered satisfactory in the past, but needs
to be reviewed in the light of the strategic nature of the EU-South
Africa partnership."
20.5 The proposed Strategic Partnership would seek
to:
— bring
the Member States, the Community and South Africa together in
a single and coherent framework, with clearly and jointly defined
objectives, covering all areas of co-operation and associating
all stakeholders;
— move from political dialogue to strategic
political co-operation and shared objectives on regional, African
and global issues; and
— enhance existing co-operation, developing
stronger and sustainable economic co-operation and fully implementing
the TDCA provisions on trade-related areas and extending co-operation
to the social, cultural and environmental fields.
20.6 In addition, the Commission says, the Strategic
Partnership "must build on the 'MDG Package', 'The European
Consensus on Development' and the 'EU Strategy for Africa' by
putting at the heart of political dialogue the progress towards
attaining the MDGs along with governance issues and peace and
security at both domestic and international level". On the
basis of "these broad principles", the Commission proposes
that it should draft an action plan for implementing the Communication,
to be submitted to the Joint EU-South Africa Cooperation Council
later this year and leading to a Joint Declaration by the partners.
It suggests that such an action plan could focus on
— strengthened
political dialogue, leading to common political positions and
joint action;
— active joint involvement in regional
and global issues;
— implementation of a jointly drafted Country
Strategy Paper in line with this Communication; and
— revision and full implementation of the
TDCA according to the above priorities.
20.7 In an Annex, the Commission sets out "the
broad lines" of a Joint Action Plan, with a large number
of suggested themes for enhanced political and economic co-operation
and for joint involvement in regional issues — particularly
the challenge of AIDS and "untangling the knot of regional
cooperation and integration". It notes that nine Member States,
and the South African authorities are jointly drafting a new 2007-13
Country Strategy Paper, which should aim to "translate"
the broad political lines in the Communication and form part of
the Action Plan.
20.8 Finally, the Annex notes that informal contacts
between the Commission and South Africa about the TDCA have identified
provisions that may need revising and suggested priorities for
those provisions that have not yet been implemented. "Promising
areas of cooperation that can be developed" include:
— the
environment, with particular emphasis on climate change;
— economic co-operation;
— information society issues;
— education and training;
— industrial, maritime and air transport
including safety and security aspects, mining, energy efficiency
policy and technologies;
— justice, "where exchanges of information
and cooperation on extradition could be developed";
— Employment, gender equality and social
protection;
— Youth issues;
— Enhanced cultural co-operation; and
— Co-operation in press and information
issues.
The Government's view
20.9 In a brief Explanatory Memorandum of 12 July
2006, the Minister for Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office (Lord Triesman) says:
"The Communication makes good suggestions on
how to streamline and simplify the EU-South Africa relationship.
The EU already has strategic partnerships with the US, Canada,
Russia, India, China, Japan, Latin America and Africa. Given South
Africa's strategic importance in Africa and emergence as a global
power, the UK supports the proposal to develop the EU-South Africa
relationship into a truly strategic partnership, enabling further
regional co-operation and enhanced dialogue."
20.10 He also notes that the TDCA issue is dealt
with in more depth in a separate Commission document:
"This document invites the Council to provide
the Commission with guidance for negotiations on the revision
of the TDCA. The key issue of South African involvement in an
Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the EU and SADC[60]
will be addressed separately; the Commission will propose that
the existing EPA mandate be adapted, with certain conditions,
to include South Africa."
20.11 On the Timetable, the Minister says
that the European Commissioner for Development
and Humanitarian
Aid will present the
Communication to the 15 September 2006 General Affairs and External
Relations Council, with a view to the 14 November 2006 EU-South
Africa Council making a Joint Declaration giving political support
to the Commission's Action Plan.
Conclusion
20.12 The case for such an enhanced relationship
with the new South Africa is self-evident and well made. But,
as with all such strategies and Action Plans, implementation will
be what really matters, which in turn requires both a realistic
assessment of the starting point and sensible ambitions.
20.13 We are accordingly happy to clear the Commission
Communication, but ask that the Minister write to us ahead of
the November Cooperation Council meeting with further information
about what Action Plan is agreed and his assessment thereof.
20.14 We also look forward to a further Explanatory
Memorandum in due course on the proposed revision of the TDCA.
60 The Southern African Development Community (SADC)
has been in existence since 1980, when it was formed as a loose
alliance of nine majority-ruled States in Southern Africa known
as the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC),
with the main aim of coordinating development projects in order
to lessen economic dependence on the then apartheid South Africa.
The founding Member States are: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi,
Mozambique, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and
Zimbabwe; see http://www.sadc.int/. Back
| 
