21 The EU and the Sahel: appointment
of an EU Special Representative
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| Draft Council Decision extending the mandate of the European Union Special Representative for the Sahel
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| Legal base | Article 31(2) and 33 TEU; QMV
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| Department | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
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| Basis of consideration | EM of 20 February 2014
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| Previous Committee Report | None; but see (34702) —: HC 86-xxxiv (2012-13), chapter 11 (6 March 2013) and HC 86-xxxiii (2012-13), chapter 13 (27 February 2013); also see (34063)—: HC 86-viii (2012-13), chapter 18 (11 July 2012)
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| Discussion in Council | 17 March 2014
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| Committee's assessment | Politically important
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| Committee's decision | Cleared
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Background
21.1 The European External Action Service (EEAS)
"Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel"
has four key themes:
· "Firstly, that security and development
in the Sahel cannot be separated, and that helping these countries
achieve security is integral to enabling their economies to grow
and poverty to be reduced.
· "Secondly, that achieving security
and development in the Sahel is only possible through closer regional
cooperation. This is currently weaker than it needs to be, and
the EU has a potential role to play in supporting it.
· "Thirdly, all the states of the region
will benefit from considerable capacity-building, both in areas
of core government activity, including the provision of security
and development cooperation.
· "Fourthly, that the EU therefore
has an important role to play both in encouraging economic development
for the people of the Sahel and helping them achieve a more secure
environment in which it can take place, and in which the interests
of EU citizens are also protected."[97]
Council Decision 2013/133/CFSP
21.2 This Council Decision of 18 March 2013 appointed
Michel Reveyrand-de Menthon as the new European Union Special
Representative (EUSR) for the Sahel. The Sahel region is defined
as in the EU Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel,
i.e. Mali, Mauritania and Niger.[98]
21.3 The new EUSR's mandate was based on the EU's
policy objectives in relation to the Sahel, i.e. to contribute
actively to regional and international efforts to achieve lasting
peace, security and development in the region. The EUSR should
aim to enhance the quality, intensity and impact of the EU's multi-
faceted engagement in the Sahel region, including the EU Strategy
for Security and Development in the Sahel. Initial priority would
be given to Mali and to the regional dimensions of the conflict
there; the EU's policy objectives being, through the coordinated
and effective use of all its instruments, to promote a return
for Mali and its people to a path of peace, reconciliation, security
and development.
21.4 More specifically, the EUSR was tasked to:
"(a) actively contribute to the implementation,
coordination and further development of the Union's comprehensive
approach to the regional crisis, on the basis of its Strategy
for Security and Development in the Sahel to enhance the overall
coherence and effectiveness of EU activities in Mali and the Sahel.
"(b) engage with all relevant stakeholders of
the region, governments, regional authorities, regional and international
organisations, civil society and diasporas, with a view to furthering
the EU's objectives and contribute to a better understanding of
the role of the Union in the region.
"(c) represent the Union in relevant regional
and international fora, including the Support and Follow Up Group
on the situation in Mali, and ensure visibility for EU support
to crisis management and conflict prevention, including EUTM Mali
and EUCAP SAHEL.
"(d) maintain close cooperation with the UN,
in particular the UN Secretary General's Special Envoy for the
Sahel and the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for
West Africa, the AU, in particular the AU High Representative
for Mali and Sahel, ECOWAS and other leading national, regional
and international stakeholders including other Special Envoys
for the Sahel.
"(e) closely follow the regional and trans-boundary
dimensions of the crisis, including terrorism, organized crime,
arms smuggling, human trafficking, drug trafficking, refugee and
migration flows and related financial flows; in close cooperation
with the EU Counter Terrorism Coordinator, contribute to the further
implementation of the EU Counter terrorism Strategy.
"(f) maintain regular high level political contacts
with the countries in the region affected by terrorism and international
crime in order to ensure a coherent and comprehensive approach
and to ensure the EU's key role in the international efforts to
fight terrorism and international crime. This includes the EU's
active support to regional capacity-building in the security sector,
and ensuring that the root causes of terrorism and international
crime in the Sahel are adequately addressed.
"(g) closely follow the political and security
consequences of humanitarian crises in the region.
"(h) with regard to Mali, contribute to regional
and international efforts to facilitate the resolution of the
crisis, in particular the implementation of the roadmap for the
political transition, a free and transparent electoral process
and a credible national inclusive dialogue.
"(i) promote institution building, security
sector reform and long-term peace building and reconciliation
in Mali.
"(j) cooperate with the EUSR for Human Rights
in promoting respect for human rights and international humanitarian
law and maintain regular contacts with relevant authorities in
Mali and in the region, the Office of the prosecutor of the International
criminal court, the office of the High Commissioner for Human
Rights and the human rights defenders and observers in the region.
Contribute to the implementation of the Unions' human rights policy
including the Union Guidelines on human rights and international
humanitarian law, in particular the Union Guidelines on Children
and Armed conflict as well as Union Guidelines on violence against
women and girls and combating all forms of discrimination against
them, the Updated Union Guidelines on promoting compliance with
international humanitarian law, the Revised Guidelines on the
Protection of Civilians in CSDP Missions and Operations and the
Union policy regarding UNSCR 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security
including by monitoring and reporting on developments in this
regard.
"(k) follow up and report on compliance with
relevant UNSCRs, in particular 2056 (2012) 2071 (2012) and 2085
(2012)."
21.5 As with the already established EUCAP SAHEL
Niger mission,[99] we
shared the Minister's concern not so much about the case for this
additional EUSR (which was well-made) but about ensuring Value
for Money (VFM). Looking ahead, we said that we expected the
salary and other VFM aspects of the EUSR role to be given full
consideration in the review of EUSRs, which we looked forward
to scrutinising in due course.[100]
21.6 In subsequent correspondence, the Minister said
that officials were working on a strategy to address this issue,
and that he would update the Committee separately on EUSR future
mandates and how both the monitoring and evaluation of EUSRs could
be improved.
Our assessment
21.7 Given that the EUSR Sahel was to have few staff,
a small budget and no executive responsibilities, we found it
difficult to see the justification for an annual remuneration
of a quarter of a million Euros, or for it to be the same as that
of counterparts with palpably bigger responsibilities.
21.8 We trusted that the Minister's officials' engagement
in addressing the salary and other VFM aspects of the EUSR role
would include ways in which the EUSRs' individual performances
could be better measured, given that (as in this instance) their
tasks were defined in such terms that a high "box marking"
was almost guaranteed, and looked forward to hearing more from
the Minister about his approach.[101]
The draft Council Decision
21.9 The draft Council Decision proposes the renewal
of the incumbent's mandate for one year, until 28 February 2015.
The Government's view
21.10 In his Explanatory Memorandum of 20 February
2014, the Minister for Europe (Mr David Lidington) says that he
supports renewal of the mandate.
21.11 The Minister continues as follows:
"M. Reveyrand has performed satisfactorily in
the EUSR Sahel role.
"In June 2013 he was a co-signatory of the Ouagadougou
Accords signed between the Government of Mali and groups representing
the Tuareg separatists. This agreement formed the basis of the
ceasefire between Bamako and the MNLA, and permitted the presidential
and legislative elections in Mali to take place. It remains the
basis on which further progress in the peace process is likely
to be made.
"Reveyrand has travelled widely in the Sahel-Sahara
region over the last year, and has been energetic in building
dialogue with regional and international contacts on the issues
facing the Sahel. His mandate ensures that his activity is closely
linked to the EU's Strategy for Security and Development in the
Sahel, which we support.
"Reveyrand's collaborative approach is appreciated
among EU Member States, and there is agreement that the EUSR can
play an important role in helping Sahelian states to address the
wide-ranging challenges affecting the region. Similarly, the EUSR's
co-ordinating function can help to mobilise the range of EU instruments
available to assist in the region, and to co-ordinate the EU's
work with that of other international actors such as the UN, World
Bank, African Union and ECOWAS. Consequently there is broad consensus
that Reveyrand's mandate be extended for a further 12 months."
"2014-15 MANDATE AND BUDGET
"In committee discussions in Brussels we have
successfully introduced a number of amendments to the mandate,
to reflect the (broadly positive) political developments in the
Sahel since February 2013. These include the signing of the Ouagadougou
Accords in June, the deployment of the UN Mission (MINUSMA) to
Mali in July, and the successful presidential and legislative
elections in Mali. We also added language on the need for the
EUSR to push for further progress on the Malian peace process,
and to keep a weather eye on Niger and Burkina Faso, which will
hold important elections in 2015-16.
"Following the light-touch 'refresh' of the
EU's Sahel Strategy (which will in future also cover Chad and
Burkina Faso), the EUSR has proposed to expand his team to include
a further (fifth) POLAD (Policy Advisor) who would be based in
Brussels. The proposal was accompanied by a bid to increase the
EUSR team's budget by EUR 80,000 (or 6%), from EUR 1,350,000 to
EUR 1,430,000, to cater for this new appointment. We pushed back
on this, and insisted that any increase in staffing should be
funded from the EUSR's existing resources. The EUSR has therefore
worked to reduce costs in other areas of the budget, and the most
recent draft budget now proposes an additional POLAD with no financial
increase. We are content with this outcome.
"The extension of Reveyrand's mandate until
February 2015 would bring it into line with the majority of other
EUSR mandates, which will be renewed for only 8 months from June
2014 to February 2015."
Conclusion
21.12 The Minister notes that the 12-month extension
of M. Reveyrand's mandate until February 2015 would bring it into
line with the majority of other EUSR mandates, "which will
be renewed for only 8 months from June 2014 to February 2015".
This somewhat throwaway remark touches on one of the general
issues — the question of when the review of current guidelines
on EUSRs and the apparent tussle between the HR and Member States
over their future — that are raised in a separate chapter
of this Report on the (former) EUSR to the Middle East Peace Process
and the recent resignations of the EUSRs to the South Caucasus
and Georgia and to Central Asia.[102]
21.13 So far as this mandate extension is concerned,
however, no questions arise. Given the interest in CSDP generally,
I suggest that (as usual with such mandate renewals) it is reported
to the House.
97 The Strategy is available at http://www.eeas.europa.eu/africa/docs/sahel_strategy_en.pdf. Back
98
EUSRs promote the EU's policies and interests in troubled regions
and countries and play an active role in efforts to consolidate
peace, stability and the rule of law. They support the work of
the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security
Policy (HR), in the regions concerned, and provide the EU with
an active political presence in key countries and regions, acting
as a "voice" and "face" for the EU and its
policies. See http://eeas.europa.eu/policies/eu-special-representatives/index_en.htmfor
full details. Back
99
EUCAP SAHEL Niger is designed to build the capacity of
Nigerien security forces to fight terrorism and organised crime.
The budget for the first year of the mission is €8,700,000;
it is due to last for 24 months and, at full operational capability,
consist of up to 78 people. The aim of the mission is:
"to enable the Nigerien authorities
to implement the security dimension of their Strategy for Security
and Development, as well as improving regional coordination in
tackling common security threats. In particular, EUCAP Sahel
Niger will aim to contribute to the development of an integrated,
sustainable, and human rights-based approach to the fight against
terrorism and organised crime." Back
100
For the full background, see HC 86-xxxiii (2012-13), chapter 13
(27 February 2013). Back
101
For the full background, see (34702) -: HC 86-xxxiv (2012-13),
chapter 11 (6 March 2013). Back
102
See (35701) - at chapter 19 of this Report. Back
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