5 EU Strategy for Africa
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13293/05
COM(05) 489
+ ADD1
| Commission Communication: EU Strategy for Africa: Towards a Euro-African Pact to Accelerate Africa's development
Presidency, Council and Commission Report: The EU and Africa: Towards a Strategic Partnership — The Way Forward and Key Achievements in 2006
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| Legal base | — |
| Department | International Development
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| Basis of consideration | Ministers' letter of 12 June 2007
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| Previous Committee Reports | HC 34-vii (2005-06), para 3 (26 October 2005),
HC 34-xii (2005-06) para 9 (30 November 2005),
HC 34-xv (2005-06), para 12 (18 January 2006),
HC 41-vii (2006-07), para 7 (24 January 2007), and
HC 41-xviii (2006-07), para 7 (25 April 2007)
and see (26496)(26497)(26498): HC 34-i (2005-06), para 4 (4 July 2005), and (26737) and (26498): HC 34-v (2005-06), paras 3 and 4 (12 October 2005)
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| Discussed in Council | 14-15 December 2006 European Council
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared on 30 November 2005. Considered relevant to the debate on the Commission Communication on an "EU Code of Conduct on Division of Labour in Development Policy". Further information requested
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Background
5.1 The Communication is the Commission's response to the instruction
from the June 2005 European Council to draw up a long-term global
strategy on Africa by the December 2005 European Council. The
UN Millennium Development Goals[16]
are at the heart. The Communication suggests that the EU should
focus its support in areas considered essential for attaining
the MDGs (peace and security and good governance), areas that
create the economic environment necessary for achieving the MDGs
(economic growth, trade and interconnection) and areas directly
targeting the MDGs (social cohesion, decent work, gender equality
and environment). These areas should be supplemented by support
for economic integration and political cooperation with the EU.
The African Union's (AU) "Peace Facility for Africa"
should be replenished and strengthened to allow it better to support
Africa's own efforts in this field.
5.2 The Communication includes a range of possible
approaches in different areas, such as: good governance, respect
for human rights and the fight against corruption; economic growth
including trade and private sector development; support to increasing
competitiveness of African agriculture; establishing an EU-Africa
Partnership for Infrastructure; enhanced support for basic service
provision in social sectors and further support for tackling poverty
diseases; migration; core labour standards; environment and climate
change.
Previous consideration of the Communication
5.3 When the Committee finally cleared it on 30 November
2005, it was clear the process of turning the Commission's overlong
Communication into an effective Strategy was moving forward constructively.
We asked the Secretary of State for International Development
(Mr Hilary Benn) for further clarification and to let us know
the outcome of the December European Council. His 9 January 2006
letter enclosed the final Strategy and answered these questions
as effectively as he could at that stage.
5.4 A major common theme running through the large
number of development assistance-related documents that we considered
in 2005 and 2006 was dramatically increasing the effectiveness
of, in particular, EC aid — which meant dramatically improving
the effectiveness of the EU's activities in Africa.[17]
Hence the importance of the Africa Strategy.
5.5 In this regard we said that even a superficial
examination revealed the breadth and depth of its ambitions. The
question now was: to what extent were these vital ambitions likely
to be achieved? Effective implementation would demand an unprecedented
level and effectiveness of cooperation between Member States and
the Commission, and between them and the UN, the African Union,
the International Financial Institutions and other bilateral donors;
pose unprecedented challenges for European Security and Defence
Policy; require an unprecedented level of commitment and delivery
on the part of African partners; and, above all, require the EU
to "put its money where its mouth is".
5.6 We also envisaged the first formal review, by
the 14-15 December 2006 European Council, being prepared by the
autumn 2006 "Development" GAERC, in connection with
which we anticipated a Commission document of some sort and an
Explanatory Memorandum. Instead, the Minister for Europe at the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mr Geoffrey Hoon) wrote on 8
January 2007 in connection with a joint Presidency, Commission
and Council Secretariat progress report — "The EU
and Africa: Towards a Strategic Partnership — The Way Forward
and Key Achievements in 2006" — which had been
presented to the December European Council, whose Conclusions
in turn reaffirmed "its earlier commitment to work towards
a joint EU-Africa strategy and underlined the importance of monitoring
progress towards all of the EU's commitments to Africa including
the 2005 aid volume targets".
5.7 We noted with surprise that someone as experienced
as the Minister for Europe, along with his counterpart at the
Department for International Development, should have overlooked
our clearly expressed expectation that whatever document informed
the December European Council discussion of the Strategy would
be deposited together with an Explanatory Memorandum ahead of
the Council's consideration of it. We felt that the timing and
format of his somewhat brief exposition and analysis was a poor
substitute: sight of the report along with an Explanatory Memorandum
would have given the House considerably more insight into not
only what has, but also what has not, been achieved thus far,
as well as what was further envisaged in this Strategic Partnership.
5.8 For the future, we said that we expected the
next and subsequent annual progress reports to be deposited in
good time ahead of the relevant Council so that they could be
properly scrutinised.
5.9 We also looked forward to scrutinising the Joint
Strategy encompassing joint commitments to which the Minister
referred, ahead of any endorsement at an EU-Africa Summit later
this year.
5.10 Finally, we discussed scrutiny of the EU-Africa
process, and the review of progress against the EU and Africa:
Towards a Strategic Partnership, with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary
at the Department for International Development (Mr Gareth Thomas)
at an evidence session on 7 March,[18]
in response to which he undertook to send us a further letter.
The Minister's letter of 27 March 2007
5.11 After apologising for not providing the Committee
with the information that we expected prior to the December European
Council, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for
International Development (Mr Gareth Thomas) provided some further
information regarding the joint Presidency, Commission and Council
Secretariat progress report and confirmed the Government's intention
"to engage vigorously with Parliament on issues relating
to the EU and Africa".
5.12 He went on to explain that follow up to the
EU's Strategy for Africa is led jointly by the Department for
International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
because the Strategy includes political, security and development
aspects; that correspondence to Parliament on this topic had issued
jointly from the International Development Secretary and Lord
Triesman as Africa Minister, "to reflect this and the close
working relationship across Whitehall on this set of policies";
that the January letter issued from the Minister for Europe because
it conveyed the outcome of the December European Council but was
written with full knowledge and input from DFID officials; and
that in future he would "aim to send updates under joint
signatures wherever possible on correspondence to Parliament pertaining
to the EU Africa Strategy".
5.13 He then said that he would like to clarify expectations
on scrutiny of the EU Africa Strategy during 2007 as follows:
"I propose that the Government write to
the Committees once the Commission and Council Secretariat have
published their expected joint review of progress. The Government
will then forward the finally agreed review of progress after
the relevant Council. In respect of the proposed Joint EU Africa
Strategy to be approved at an EU Africa Summit, and scrutiny of
any such document, we hope to be able to forward an outline of
the Strategy once this has been agreed with the African Union
later this year. We will keep the Committees informed of progress".
5.14 Finally, he provided further information on
the 2006 Review in a separate enclosure, which we annexed to our
immediately preceding Report of 18 April 2007.[19]
The Ministers' letter of 12 June 2007
5.15 The joint letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary
at the Department for International Development (Mr Gareth Thomas)
and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office and Minister for Africa (Lord Triesman)
provides an update of progress on the EU-Africa dialogue and the
development of the joint EU-Africa strategy.
5.16 They note that the 8th EU-Africa Ministerial
troika meeting, which took place in Brussels on 15 May, welcomed
and endorsed a draft outline of the joint EU-Africa strategy,
"recognising it as an excellent basis for the elaboration
into a full joint strategy".[20]
Ministers "stressed the need for the strategy to provide
a solid foundation for an ambitious and long-term strategic partnership
between the EU and Africa. The EU-Africa Summit, planned for 7-8
December this year was also discussed. Both parties agreed that
the Summit must focus on substantive deliverables including the
joint strategy and an initial action plan". A new ad-hoc
working group, which includes UK membership, has been set up in
Brussels with the specific purpose of further developing the joint
EU-Africa strategy and preparing the December Summit. The final
Communiqué from the meeting is also attached to the Ministers'
letter (the relevant parts of which are at Annex 1 of this Report).[21]
5.17 The Ministers' continue as follows:
"We believe that the outline document provides
a reasonable base from which to develop the new joint strategy.
However, further work is required to produce a credible new framework
to guide the EU/Africa partnership, and promote concrete actions
over the short and long-term.
"We would be particularly keen to see further
detail under the points on climate change, aid volumes and effectiveness,
migration and governance. We will continue to comment via the
new Ad Hoc Working Group.
"The UK continues to stress to partners
the need for commitments to be action-oriented and for mention
of how individual objectives will be achieved. In addition, we
have commented that the current document remains focused on EU
commitments. African commitments and initiatives such as the recently
adopted African Charter for Democracy, Elections and Governance
could be better reflected here. This would ensure this is a truly
joint strategy and a new partnership between the EU and Africa.
"The UK considers it vital that concrete
agreements are reached on future cooperation at the Summit to
give early substance to the EU-Africa partnership. For example,
we will be pursuing with partners new EU funding arrangements
for AU peace support missions perhaps focusing on rapid deployment,
the launch of the EU Africa Energy Partnership reflecting Africa's
interests in greater infrastructure investments to improve energy
security and expand access, and the announcement of the new EU/EC
representation in Addis.
"We will continue to work closely with partners
on preparations for the joint strategy and the December Summit".
Conclusions
5.18 We are grateful for this further information,
in which the Ministers have clearly highlighted what needs to
be achieved between now and December:
— further
detail on climate change, aid volumes and effectiveness, migration
and governance;
— commitments that are action-oriented;
— specificities on how individual objectives
will be achieved;
— a truly joint strategy focused not
only on EU commitments but also African commitments and initiatives,
to produce a new partnership between the EU and Africa; and
— substantive deliverables and concrete
agreements on future cooperation at the Summit to give early substance
to the partnership, particularly new EU funding arrangements for
AU peace support missions, the launch of the EU-Africa Energy
Partnership and the announcement of new EU/EC representation in
Addis Ababa.
5.19 We hope that, in the next such letter, they
are able to report substantive progress in these areas. In the
meantime, we are reporting this further information to the House
in view of the widespread interest in development issues and Africa.
16 The eight UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
are those that, in 2000, the UN set itself to achieve, most by
2015: eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; achieve universal
primary education; promote gender equality; reduce child mortality;
improve maternal health; combat HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases;
ensure environmental sustainability; and develop a partnership
for development - each with associated targets and benchmarks
to measure progress. Back
17
See in particular (27333-27335) 7066/06-7068/06: HC 34-xxiii (2005-06),
para 15 (29 March 2006). Back
18
Evidence session: The Special Framework of Assistance for traditional
suppliers of bananas, HC 387-i, 7 March 2007. Back
19
See headnote Back
20
See ec.europa.eu/development/ICenter/Pdf/-2007/EU-Africa_Strategy_outlinefinal070515_en.pdf
for full text. Back
21
See http://www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/er/94126.pdf
for full text. Back
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