19 The EU-Africa Relationship
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16679/10
COM(10) 634
| Commission Communication: On the consolidation of EU Africa relations — 1.5 billion people, 80 countries, two continents, one future
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| Legal base | —
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| Document originated | 10 November 2010
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| Deposited in Parliament | 24 November 2010
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| Department | International Development
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 10 December 2010
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| Previous Committee Report | None; but see (30069) 14632/08: HC 19-ix (2008-09), chapter 10 (4 March 2009) and 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)
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| Discussed in Council | To be determined
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
19.1 The Commission's earlier related Communication
11362/07 — "From Cairo to Lisbon: the EU-Africa Strategic
Partnership" — proposed a partnership of equals going
beyond traditional development co-operation 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.
19.2 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.
19.3 The previous Committee's
subsequent consideration of that Communication, from 2 October
2007 onwards, is set out in their previous Reports.[139]
19.4 Given the depth and complexity of the issues
raised, and the central role of UK development thinking, practice
and funding, both bilateral and via the European Development Fund,
in this Partnership, the previous Committee also drew the latest
of those Reports to the attention of the International Development
Committee.
19.5 A later Commission Communication 14632/08 —
One Year after Lisbon: The Africa-EU Partnership at Work —
set out progress made on implementation of the Strategic Partnership
agreed at the December 2007 Lisbon Summit in. It outlined the
Commission's view of some of the main challenges ahead and made
recommendations on how to move forward; and was 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 2008.
19.6 The Communication recalled that the Strategic
Partnership was intended to take the Africa-EU relationship "beyond
development", "beyond Africa", and "beyond
institutions". The Commission reported that this had begun
to happen, but that more needed 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 had
been achieved so far, and next steps which needed to be taken.
It highlighted 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 set out how increased
ODA promised by the EU could be used to help accelerate progress
on the MDGs. Food security and agriculture were also identified
as potential areas for early progress. The Communication noted
that Peace and Security was one of the priorities for Africa-EU
co-operation and within that mentioned the importance of building
AU capacity. It also highlighted the importance of achieving a
sustainable funding mechanism for Africa-led peace and security
operations.
19.7 The Commission's recommendations focussed on
accelerating progress on implementation, and broadening and consolidating
the progress that has been made. Communication was identified
as a key priority for all eight Partnerships and there were specific
recommendations on consulting non-governmental "actors"
(e.g. 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 called on the EU to reaffirm its political and
financial commitments to Africa, and urged Africa to ensure the
effective delivery of its commitments.
19.8 All of this was commented upon extensively by
the then Parliamentary Secretary at Department for International
Development (Mr Ivan Lewis) and the then Minister of State at
the Foreign and Commonwealth Office with responsibility for Africa
(Lord Malloch-Brown) both in their joint 5 November 2008 Explanatory
Memorandum and in joint letters of 6 November 2008 and 5 February
2009, and is set out in the previous Committee's relevant Reports.
Having scrutinised both framework-setting Communications, the
previous Committee suggested that the process had now moved into
questions of detailed implementation, and that further "updating"
letters should now be sent to the International Development Committee.[140]
The Commission Communication
19.9 This Commission Communication
was issued shortly before the third EU-Africa Summit on 29-30
November 2010, whose overarching theme was "Growth, Investment
and Job Creation". It highlights relevant high-level developments
on both continents since the 2007 Summit. It says that the EU
remains Africa's most important political ally and a reliable
trade and development partner. Having decided at the last EU-Africa
Summit to place their relations on a new, equal and strategic
footing, both now need to go further in order to live up to this
ambition, including through the effective implementation of the
Joint Africa-EU Strategy (the JAES). Emerging global players strengthening
their presence in Africa and increasing South-South cooperation
represent a healthy challenge for Africa-EU relations and call
for a renewed focus on recognised strengths and added value, and
for better coordination and identification of win-win situations.
19.10 While achieving the MDGs will remain at the
heart of the Africa-EU Joint Strategy, the Commission sees a need
to support Africa in strengthening its political and economic
governance, and in reinforcing the regulatory, fiscal and business
environment that allows better mobilizing of the continent's own
assets in a sustainable way. The Commission sees engaging with
the private sector and ensuring a financial leverage effect of
development assistance as crucial, and the EU's 2020 Strategy
as providing an inspiration for the EU's relations with Africa.
19.11 The Commission calls on Europe and Africa to
build on the achievements of the Joint Strategy in order to increase
its impact at global, continental and regional level. The lessons
learnt the past three years show that the Joint Strategy has to
better fulfil its potential and to become more responsive to present
and future challenges. The relationship must effectively move
beyond institutions and a fragmented, development-centric approach
to jointly address global issues. Both sides must overcome their
inconsistencies and develop channels for an effective interaction.
[141]
19.12 Against this background, the Communication
sets out five key common challenges:
— achieving the Millennium Development
Goals;
— tackling threats to peace and security;
— promoting democracy rule of law, governance
and human rights;
— strengthening the legitimacy and efficiency
of multilateral institutions; and
— combating climate change and environmental
degradation.
19.13 The Communication then
outlines a "Forward Looking Vision", encompassing a
number of issues which will be the subject of further and separate
discussions over the coming months, with the aim of delivering
inclusive and sustainable growth. It concludes by arguing that
at the November 2010 Summit, Africa and the EU need to develop
a realistic vision for their future cooperation, translating the
paradigm "from Donorship to partnership", and ensure
that the the next Action Plan prioritises activities that have:
— a clear regional, continental or global
dimension, which is where the added value of the Joint Strategy
lies;
— a clear added value, are focused and
streamlined, and reinforce complementarity and coherence with
existing initiatives and fora, and align with African strategic
priorities, their organisations and structures and their mechanisms
at continental and regional levels;
— a proven buy-in of a critical mass of
competent actors.
The Government's view
— In his Explanatory Memorandum of 10 December
2010, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for
International Development (Stephen O'Brien) highlights three issues
in particular:
— treating "Africa as one" and
the idea of a pan-African funding instrument in the next long
term EU budget;
— the recent Green Paper on "Inclusive
Growth and Sustainable Development" and the related public
consultation;[142]
— the Green Paper's ideas in relation
to sustainable energy and how joint programmes should be put in
place to provide sustainable energy to all citizens.
19.14 In these programmes, the
Minister notes that EU development and climate change finance,
the EU and developing countries and the energy industry and EU
financial institutions could identify joint actions and reforms
including investment protection, taxation and regional power collaboration.
19.15 The Minister goes on to say that there are
no immediate implications for UK policy towards Africa. He agrees
with the document's overall tone and emphasis and the need to
strengthen the partnership between the EU and Africa. He describes
the text as honest and fair in recognising shortcomings on both
the EU and African sides in the implementation of the Strategy
(the JAES), and agrees that any activities undertaken under the
second JAES Action Plan (2011-2013) "should have a clear
added value, be aligned with African priorities and be properly
resourced."
19.16 He notes that the idea of "treating Africa
as one" is something that African countries have long called
for, but says that the implications for EU policy and legal frameworks,
and financial instruments will need to be explored. He also notes
that the negotiations on the next EU budget (2014-2020) will start
in 2011 and says they are likely to include the possibility of
a pan-African funding instrument within the EU budget.
19.17 He then notes that the European Development
Fund (EDF) is "currently an off-budget Member States' voluntary
fund for Africa, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries, but which
does not cover North Africa", and comments as follows:
"The UK's current position is that we want to
maintain the European Development Fund (EDF) in its current form.
If the EDF is 'budgetised' into the EU budget, this could mean
that any underspend is absorbed back into the budget, rather than
being ring-fenced for development work, primarily in Sub-Saharan
Africa. EDF is also considered more effective than EU budget instruments
in delivering aid. The Cotonou Agreement provides the legal framework
for the relationship between the ACP and the EU, as well as funding
under the EDF. The most recent (2010) five-yearly revision of
Cotonou strengthened the language on support for regional strategies
such as the JAES, but this is not specifically mentioned in this
communication."
19.18 With regard to the Green
Paper, the Minister welcomes the proposed public consultation,
the outcome of which and emerging policy ideas are, he says, likely
to have an impact on the EU-Africa Partnership.
19.19 Finally, the Minister says that this Communication
did not go to a Council but was a reflection of the discussions
over the last year on the EU Africa Partnership and the agreed
2nd Action Plan in the lead up to the EU-Africa High Level Political
Dialogue (previously "Ministerial Troika") which took
place in Lilongwe, Malawi on 19 November and the EU-Africa Summit
in Tripoli, Libya on 29-10 November; and that a letter on the
outcomes of these discussions will follow.[143]
Conclusion
19.20 We look forward to
this letter. We hope that it will show how the Action Plan reflects
the Commission's approach and prescriptions. We should also be
grateful for the Minister's thoughts on two of the key challenges
that the Communication mentions, but does not discuss: the emerging
global players, by which we presume the Commission means China,
and its more straightforward approach to development in Africa;
and increasing South-South cooperation.
19.21 In the meantime, we are drawing the Communication
to the attention of the International Development Committee.
19.22 We also now clear it.
139 See headnote: (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). Back
140
See headnote: (30069) 14632/08: HC 19-ix (2008-09), chapter 10
(4 March 2009) and HC 16-xxxvi (2007-08), chapter 14 (26 November
2008). Back
141
For full information on the EU-Africa Partnership thus far, see
http://www.africa-eu-partnership.org/. Back
142
See (32174) 16146/10, which we consider at chapter 18 of this
Report. Back
143
See http://www.africa-eu-partnership.org/3rd-africa-eu-summit
for further information on the Summit. Back
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