House of Commons - European Scrutiny Committee

European Scrutiny Committee Contents

10 The Africa-EU Partnership

(30069) 14632/08 + ADD 1 COM(08) 617

Commission Communication: One Year after Lisbon: The Africa-EU Partnership at Work

Legal base —

Document originated 17 October 2008

Deposited in Parliament 24 October 2008

Department International Development

Basis of consideration Ministers' letter of 5 February 2009

Previous Committee Report HC 16-xxxvi (2007-08), chapter 14 (26 November 2008); also see (28780) 11362/07: HC 16-viii (2007-08), chapter 16 (16 January 2008), HC 41-xxxv (2006-07), chapter 1 (17 October 2007) and HC 41-xxxiii (2006-07), chapter 2 (2 October 2007)

Discussed in Council 10 November 2008 "development" General Affairs and External Relations Council

Committee's assessment Politically important

Committee's decision Cleared (decision reported on 26 November 2008); further information now provided

Background

10.1 The Commission Communication 11362/07 — "From Cairo to Lisbon: the EU-Africa Strategic Partnership" — proposed a partnership of equals going beyond traditional development cooperation and the EU's 2005 Africa Strategy, with the December 2007 Lisbon Summit (the second, after Cairo in 2000) making "strong action-oriented political commitments on current key international issues, notably climate change, migration, sustainable energy, governance and security", Heads of State and Government signing a Lisbon Declaration, and the first of a series of Action Plans being agreed, lasting for 2 years, until the next proposed Summit. Four jointly-agreed objectives were proposed:

— reinforcing and elevating the EU-Africa political partnership;

— continuing to promote peace and security, governance and human rights, trade and regional and continental integration in Africa, and other key development issues;

— jointly addressing global challenges and efforts to mitigate the negative impact of the EU's recruitment of skilled health workers from Africa; and

— facilitating and promoting a broad based and wide ranging people-centred partnership for all people in Africa and Europe.

10.2 Discussions during the autumn of 2007 led to the following framework:

— the EU Africa Partnership on Peace and Security;

— a Partnership on Democratic Governance and Human Rights;

— the EU Africa Partnership on Trade and Regional Integration;

— an EU Africa Partnership on the Millennium Development Goals;

— the EU Africa Partnership on Energy;

— the EU Africa partnership on Climate Change;

— an EU Africa Partnership on Migration, Mobility and Employment; and

— an EU Africa Partnership on Science, Information Society and Space.

10.3 The Committee's subsequent consideration of that Communication, from 2 October, 2007 onwards, is set out in our previous Reports.[41]

10.4 Given the depth and complexity of the issues raised, and the central role of UK development thinking, practice and funding, both bilaterally and via the European Development Fund, in this Partnership, we also drew the latest of those Reports to the attention of our colleagues on the International Development Committee.

The Commission Communication

10.5 This later Commission Communication — One Year after Lisbon: The Africa-EU Partnership at Work — sets out progress made on implementation of the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership since it was agreed at the Africa-EU Summit in Lisbon in December 2007. It outlines the Commission's view of some of the main challenges ahead and makes recommendations on how to move forward; and is intended to provide input for the joint progress report to be produced by the European Commission, the Secretariat of the Council and the African Union Commission in advance of the planned EU-AU Ministerial Troika on 20-21 November.

10.6 The Commission Staff Working Document accompanying the Communication gives an overview of the contribution the Commission proposes to make to the implementation of the Strategic Partnership, outlining short and medium term "deliverables" for each of the eight thematic partnerships.

The Commission Communication

10.7 The latest Commission Communication — One Year after Lisbon: The Africa-EU Partnership at Work — recalls that the Strategic Partnership is intended to take the Africa-EU relationship "beyond development", "beyond Africa", and "beyond institutions". The Commission reports that this has begun to happen, but that more needs to be done in each of these areas to build a mature partnership with both sides on an equal footing. The Communication goes on to outline priorities for each of the eight thematic partnerships, highlighting milestones that have been achieved so far, and next steps which need to be taken. It highlights in particular, with regard to the Partnership on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the "Agenda for Action", adopted by the June 2008 European Council and described as an ambitious political commitment which sets out how increased ODA promised by the EU can be used to help accelerate progress on the MDGs. Food security and agriculture are also identified as potential areas for early progress. The Communication notes that Peace and Security is one of the priorities for Africa-EU cooperation and within that mentions the importance of building AU capacity. It also highlights the importance of achieving a sustainable funding mechanism for Africa-led peace and security operations. The Commission's recommendations[42] focus on accelerating progress on implementation, and broadening and consolidating the progress that has been made. Communication is identified as a key priority for all eight Partnerships and there are specific recommendations on consulting non-governmental "actors" (civil society, academia and the private sector), organising a structured dialogue with the European and Pan-African Parliaments, and enhancing cooperation with the UN and other international bodies. Bilateral policies and legal and financial frameworks should be adapted to deliver the Partnership objectives, by improving coordination across national governments to reflect the cross cutting nature of the Partnership and integrating the principles and priorities of the Partnership into programming decisions. The Commission calls on the EU to reaffirm its political and financial commitments to Africa, and urges Africa to ensure the effective delivery of its commitments.

10.8 All of this was commented upon extensively by the Parliamentary Secretary at Department for International Development (Mr Ivan Lewis) and the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with responsibility for Africa (Lord Malloch-Brown) in both their Explanatory Memorandum of 5 November 2008 and a joint letter of 6 November 2008. While there had been "some significant achievements", progress overall had been "perhaps more limited than we might have hoped, due in part to the lack of capacity on the part of the African Union Commission". However, they expected in the next few weeks to see "the start of face to face dialogue with AU counterparts on each of the eight Partnerships [which] … engagement lies at the heart of the Strategy" and hoped that this would be "the start of fruitful discussions across the broad scope of the Action Plan." They agreed "broadly with the spirit of the recommendations", though recommendation (1) — that "members of the Implementation Teams on both sides needed to underpin their political commitment to the process with concrete contributions, including human and financial resources and technical expertise — in Brussels, Addis Ababa, and at national level" — would require further discussion by the relevant Council working groups. They also reported on the first of the EU-Africa Ministerial Troika meetings (delayed until September at AU request) and anticipated a further report on the second meeting this month.[43] Finally, the Ministers looked forward to being able to update the Committee further following the next ministerial troika.

10.9 For our part, we noted that these were plainly early days; the interlinked questions of resources, capacity and commitment, on both sides, were, unsurprisingly, all too evident.. A further, related Communication on the EU, Africa and China, which we considered elsewhere in that Report,[44] also illustrated that the world was now more complex than that encompassed by any one Partnership. While looking forward to the Minister's promised further report on the next ministerial troika, we reported this information to the House because of the widespread interest in the EU's relation with Africa (and, for the same reasons as before, also forwarded that chapter of our Report to our colleagues on the International Development Committee), and cleared the document.[45]

The Ministers' letter of 5 February 2009

10.10 In their latest letter, the Ministers provide an update on implementation of the Joint Africa EU Strategic Partnership, following the joint AU- EU ministerial troika which took place in Addis Ababa on 20-21 November 2008. Though not long since their previous letter, the Ministers say that there have been important steps taken in the implementation process in the last two months, which they outline as follows:

"Each of the eight thematic Partnerships which make up the First Action Plan for the Strategy held its first Joint Experts Group (JEG) meeting between African and European partners in November (with the exception of the Energy Partnership which took place in October). The Joint Strategic Partnership places great emphasis on the importance of strengthened dialogue between the two continents, built on a process bringing together experts from both sides to discuss issues of mutual concern. We are therefore very pleased to be able to report that this dialogue has now begun in earnest.

"The JEG meetings have also begun to produce tangible results, although it is still very early days for the Groups and for the most part the first meetings were exploratory discussions. The proposed joint Africa EU Declaration on Climate Change to which we referred in our last letter was announced by Jean Ping, Chairman of the African Union Commission, and European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel, at the UN Conference on Financing for Development in Doha on 1 December, having been prepared through the JEG process. The Declaration outlines Africa and the EU's common concerns for global warming and their shared interest in an ambitious post-Kyoto international agreement. It demonstrates the intention of the EU and Africa to work together towards common climate change approaches, and underlines their joint commitment to the objectives and principles of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol. The Declaration was further discussed at the UN Climate Change Conference in Poznan in December, where both sides agreed to identify future cooperative activities.

"Within other Partnerships, European and African partners agreed fruitful possible areas for joint work on Governance and Human Rights, including Election Observation, the Charter on Democracy and Elections, and the Africa Peer Review Mechanism. The first joint meeting of the Migration Partnership made a strong commitment to the transparent exchange of information, and agreed to establish smaller working groups on specific priorities, including remittances, work with the African Diaspora, and employment issues.

"Following a productive Peace and Security JEG meeting, Peace and Security issues were considered at the highest level at the AU-EU ministerial troika in November, which was attended by Defence Ministers for the first time.

"Forthcoming key events on Peace and Security include the AMANI Contributor's Conference on 6 February. The ongoing programme of AMANI exercises is designed to lead to the operationalisation of the Africa Standby Force by the target date of 2010. The UK has pledged £400,000 for 2008-2010. We continue to support this process and to encourage partners to do so, to ensure it keeps to schedule.

"A workshop on the EU-sponsored Training Centres project is planned for the first quarter of 2009. This will identify needs, and match these with possible EU assistance.

MDG PARTNERSHIP

"A number of key events have happened since we last wrote in November with regard to the priority actions of the MDG Partnership:

Ensure the finance and policy base for achieving the MDGs;
Accelerate the achievement of the food security targets of the MDGs;
Accelerate the achievement of the health targets of the MDGs;
Accelerate the achievement of the education targets of the MDGs.

"The Doha Conference on Financing for Development on 28 Nov-2 Dec 2008 was an important milestone in terms of securing the finance and policy base for achieving the MDGs. UN member states adopted the Doha Declaration on Financing for Development, reaffirming the Monterrey Consensus, and recommitting themselves to pledges made on increasing ODA, despite the current global financial crisis. They also called for a United Nations Conference at the highest level to examine the impact of the world financial and economic crisis on development.

"In Doha, donors took the opportunity to make a statement in support of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) to increase inclusive agricultural growth. The donor community also undertook to make special efforts to strengthen policies and strategies on food security through Global Partnership for Agriculture and Food (GPAF) activities to support CAADP.

The Network of African Parliamentarians on Health and Gender Development and Financing was launched at the Abuja Conference of African Finance and Health Ministers in November 2008. This will help ensure quicker parliamentary awareness of, and policy and budget support for implementation of continental and global health frameworks.

"I (Ivan Lewis) met with other European Ministers at the High Level Group Meeting on Education on 16-18 December 2008 in Oslo. We agreed a Declaration reaffirming the centrality of education for development, and focusing on equity, governance and the need for increased financing targeting the most in need. The Declaration outlined new commitments to integrate health, nutrition and education programmes, coordinate advocacy, and encourage innovative financing mechanisms. The meeting also agreed an Action Plan for recruiting, training, deploying and retaining teachers; and agreed to establish an international Task Force on 'Teachers for Education for All'.

"The Partnership will carry out its role in the context of, and in coordination with, the wider actions being taken to achieve the MDGs in Africa.

FIRST JOINT EXPERTS GROUP

"As the European lead for the MDG Partnership, the UK worked with the European and AU Commissions to prepare for the first JEG meeting. Tunisia is taking a lead on implementation for the African side, and the first joint meeting was co-chaired by His Excellency Hatem Atallah, Tunisian Ambassador to Ethiopia, and Mark Mallalieu, Head of Africa Directorate, DFID. In addition to the UK and Tunisia, the meeting was attended by representatives of eight African member states and four European member states, as well as the European and African Union Commissions. This first stage in the dialogue process laid the foundations for constructive cooperation on the priority actions.

"The meeting formally acknowledged a number of initiatives undertaken in 2008 which contributed to the achievement of the MDGs in Africa and globally, and to the four priority actions of the MDG Partnership. In particular Co-Chairs highlighted the UN High Level Events in September, the Accra High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness, and the EU Agenda for Action (which we highlighted in our last letter to the Committee).

"African partners presented a list of projects where the Partnership process could usefully contribute, and outlined the process they had undertaken to identify these possible focus areas. The projects proposed covered the three thematic priority actions, and included: Expanding area under sustainable land management and water control irrigation systems; Programme to address the niche aspects of the Africa human resources for health crisis; and 'Open and Distance learning for teachers training and development programme'. These projects will be considered in more detail and focus areas identified as the Partnership process moves forward.

"The UK Chair informed the meeting of the mapping exercise the UK has led to create a shared point of reference covering the wealth of existing work at the regional/continental level aimed at achieving the MDGs in Africa. This mapping will provide a basis for identifying gaps which might be addressed by the Partnership. The meeting agreed that this mapping should be completed and kept up to date, and would be useful in informing discussions at the next JEG meeting. Action related to Disability is one gap which stands out based on work so far. The UK will start a five year cross cutting research programme in January 2009 to increase the availability of robust data clearly demonstrating the links between disability and poverty in developing countries.

"The next JEG meeting will be held in March 2009. It was agreed that three sub-groups of African and European experts on the priority actions will meet in advance of the full meeting, to consider possible focus areas. The full JEG will consider input from the sub groups and agree follow up actions.

"We were encouraged by the shared understanding among participants about the approach to implementation of the Strategy. All partners were agreed that the Partnership must not establish parallel processes or additional projects that do not add value to existing work. Instead it must be a mechanism for strengthening dialogue among a wide range of actors, in order to better achieve our common objectives; and it must concentrate on areas where it can have the greatest impact, focusing on current gaps or blockages in implementation. The first discussion laid a good foundation for doing this in the future."

10.11 The Ministers end their letter by looking forward to being able to provide a further update following the next ministerial troika on 28 April 2009, by which time, they say, the next round of JEG meetings will have taken place.

Conclusion

10.12 Though no questions arise, we are again reporting these developments because of the widespread interest in the House in development and Africa.

10.13 Having scrutinised both framework-setting Communications, the process has now moved into questions of detailed implementation. We therefore suggest that such letters should also now be sent to the International Development Committee, as well as to ourselves.

10.14 We are accordingly, as before, forwarding this chapter of our Report to them.

Annex 1: Commission recommendations

"(1) The partnership relies on collective efforts. Therefore, members of the Implementation Teams on both sides need to underpin their political commitment to the process with concrete contributions, including human and financial resources and technical expertise — in Brussels, Addis Ababa, and at national level.

"(2) The EU Implementation Teams should finalize the comprehensive mappings of cooperation initiatives and available resources, and develop an implementation roadmap including priorities and early deliverables. The African side should promote African ownership of the Joint Strategy and proactive involvement in its implementation, and should speedily set up effective internal working arrangements. Experts from both sides should then jointly kick-start the implementation of the Action Plan, including agreed priority projects, before the next Ministerial Troika in November 2008.

"(3) Before November 2008, first consultative discussions should be held with key noninstitutional actors, including civil society, academia and the private sector, to enable them to play an active role in the implementation and monitoring of the Joint Strategy.

"(4) Both sides should pursue efforts to "treat Africa as one" and to gradually adapt relevant policies and legal and financial frameworks to the needs and objectives of the partnership with a view to foster continent-wide projects as well as cooperation between Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, institutional setups such as the Africa-related working arrangements of the Council, should be further rationalized to reflect this principle.

"(5) The Joint Strategy and its Action Plan were adopted by the Heads of State and Government, and must be collectively owned as whole-of-government commitments. Coordination should be improved to reflect the Joint Strategy as a cross-cutting priority for all ministries and departments, in political as well as in financial terms.

"(6) European and African actors should integrate the principles, objectives and priorities of the Joint Strategy into the programming of financial and technical cooperation, as well as into their political dialogue and meetings with third parties.

"(7) European and African actors should also live up to their commitments to enhance contacts, coordination and cooperation in UN and other international bodies and multilateral negotiations, and set up efficient consultative and coordination structures.

"(8) The EU should reaffirm its political and financial commitments to Africa. Despite the current difficult economic situation, the EU needs to provide half of its pledged additional ODA for 2010 and 2015 to Africa.

"(9) The African side, too, needs to provide the necessary leadership in, and responsibility for, the effective delivery of its commitments and pledged contributions to the implementation of the Strategy and Action Plan.

"(10) Organize a structured dialogue with the European Parliament and the Pan-African Parliament, including regular hearings on the progress of the Strategic Partnership.