EU-SOUTH AFRICA STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Letter from Rt Hon Geoff Hoon MP, Ministre
for Europe, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, to the Chairman
The EU strategy for Africa entitled "The
EU and Africa: Towards a Strategic Partnership" was agreed
by Heads of State and Government at the December 2005 European
Council during the UK Presidency. It provides the European Commission
and EU Member States with a framework of action to support Africa
over a 10-year period.
In 2006, the Filmish Presidency, the European
Commission and the Council Secretariat jointly produced a progress
report entitled, "The EU and Africa: Towards a Strategic
Partnership—The Way Forward and Key Achievements in 2006".
This was presented to EU Heads of State and Government at the
European Council on 14-15 December. The European Council reaffirmed,
in Conclusions, 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.
As the title suggests, the report is split into
two sections, summarising progress on implementation in 2006 and
identifying priority actions for 2007. The report notes substantive
progress in many areas including work on increased dialogue and
cooperation, peace and security, human rights and good governance,
regional integration, trade, private sector development and interconnectivity,
migration and aid. The four priority areas for action in 2007
are strengthening the strategic partnership with Africa, supporting
Africa's quest for peace and good governance, promoting growth
and sustainable development, and investing in people.
We welcome the report as an accurate representation
of EU support to Africa in 2006. There has been much activity
to implement commitments and real progress has been made. On peace
and security, agreement has been reached to provide further and
increased funding through the Africa Peace Facility to support
the African Union. EU election observation missions have been
deployed in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Zambia and
Mauritania. Member States have agreed to make over €20 billion
in EC funds available to Africa between 2007 and 2013 including
targeted support for peace and security, governance and infrastructure.
But we need to maintain momentum on delivery.
The UK places particular importance on the forward look section
of the report. We have been emphasising to EU partners, and will
continue to do so, the need to up the pace on delivery, particularly
on trade and access to basic services such as health, education
and water. In addition to implementation of these commitments,
the EU will build on the Strategy through the negotiation next
year with African partners of a Joint Strategy encompassing joint
commitments, and which we hope will be endorsed at an EU-Africa
Summit soon.
We believe that the report and the European
Council's reaffirmed commitment has helped to maintain focus and
momentum on the EU's commitments to Africa. We are also pleased
that, as proposed during a recent House of Lords debate on EU-Africa,
progress on the strategy will henceforth be reviewed on an annual
basis rather than bi-annually as had originally been agreed.
8 January 2007
|
