Committee Reports > List of Committees > Joint > 2003 > Committee on European Affairs > Report No. 01 - Report of the Advisory Group to the JC on EU Affairs

Annex 4

EU mechanisms for Political Dialogue with Africa

EU-Africa Dialogue

1.The EU-Africa dialogue was launched at the first Africa-EU Summit held in Cairo in April 2000. The dialogue takes place between the EU 15, on the one hand, and the African Union (AU), plus Morocco (which is not an AU member), on the other. The purpose of the EU-Africa dialogue is to work towards a new strategic dimension to the global partnership between Africa and Europe. A working group of senior officials was set up following the Cairo Summit to bring forward work on the Cairo plan of action in the lead-up to the next EU-Africa Summit, scheduled to be held in Lisbon in April 2003. The senior officials’ group has identified eight priorities for joint action by the EU and Africa, in the areas of debt, the return of cultural goods, HIV/AIDS and other epidemics, environment, regional economic cooperation, food security, conflict prevention and democracy and human rights. Ireland, together with the European Commission, has taken the lead on the EU side on the issue of HIV/AIDS and other epidemics.

2.Follow-up Ministerial meetings to the Cairo Summit took place in Brussels in October 2001, and on 28 November 2002 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The purpose of the Ouagadougou Ministerial was to assess progress on the eight priority areas and to begin a reflection on the future of the dialogue post-Lisbon. The EU has put forward a number of ideas in this regard, including that the future dialogue will need to reflect major pan-African developments which have occurred since Cairo, such as the launch of the African Union and the development of NEPAD (New Partnership for Africa’s Development), an Africa-wide initiative intended to achieve sustainable development in Africa in the 21^st century. To ensure its continued relevance, the post-Lisbon dialogue also needs to be made more efficient and flexible. The EU also considers that the future dialogue needs to focus on issues such as peace and security, good governance, human rights, democracy and the rule of law, and economic and trade issues of relevance to Africa.

Cotonou Agreement

3.Cotonou sets out a new Partnership Agreement with the 78 ACP countries until 2020 and provides a new, sound basis for meeting their development challenges. Most country strategies for the coming five years were drafted with the consultation of civil society in country; political dialogue between the EU and these countries has been intensified. The central objective of the Partnership Agreement is to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty while contributing to the sustainable development and the gradual integration of ACP countries into the world economy. This objective is the basis of all development strategies contained in the Agreement

4.The EU’s political dialogue with individual African countries and with African sub-regional organisations such as SADC (the Southern African Development Community), and ECOWAS (the Economic Community of West African States) is carried out under the terms of Article 8 of the Cotonou Agreement. Article 8 provides for a political dialogue covering all the aims and objectives laid down in the Cotonou Agreement, including a regular assessment of developments concerning respect for human rights, democratic principles, the rule of law and good governance. In the event that one party does not live up to its obligations concerning respect for human rights, democracy, rule of law and good governance (Article 9 of Cotonou), there is provision within Article 96 of Cotonou for consultations designed to rectify the situation. If the consultations do not lead to an acceptable solution, appropriate measures can be taken, proportional to the violation. Suspension of the Cotonou Agreement is considered as a measure of last resort. Article 96 consultations have taken place with Cote d’Ivoire, Zimbabwe and Liberia. Article 97 of the Cotonou Agreement also provides for a consultation procedure in cases of serious corruption. Article 97 consultations have been held with Liberia.

EU Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)

5.Through the CFSP, the EU develops common policies on African issues. The main political and diplomatic instruments at the Union’s disposal to attempt to influence the situation in African countries are the political dialogue mechanisms under the Cotonou Agreement (Articles 8 and 96), the use of CFSP declarations and demarches, the adoption of Council conclusions, the appointment of EU and Presidency Special Representatives, and the deployment of EU Troikas to address specific situations. For example, the EU has a Special Representative for the Great Lakes region, whose mandate is to seek solutions to the crises in the DRC and Burundi, and to present a coherent EU viewpoint on these crises. There is also a Presidency Special Representative for the Mano River Union countries of West Africa (Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea), whose role is to seek solutions to the regional crisis in West Africa. The Union also has developed legally binding common positions on a number of African countries/regions/thematic areas, such as Nigeria, Angola, the Lusaka peace process (DRC), and the common position on conflict prevention, management and resolution in Africa. The CFSP is considered to work fairly well with regard to Africa as it ensures greater visibility for the Union, and gives smaller Member States such as Ireland a possibility of influencing events in African countries in which we have no diplomatic representation or influence.