Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament - One year after Lisbon: the Africa-EU partnership at work {SEC(2008) 2603}
Date: 2008-10-17
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Africa, EU relations, economic policy, employment policy, energy policy, environmental policy, human rights, information policy, international cooperation, international security

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 17.10.2008 
COM (2008) 617 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

One year after Lisbon: The Africa-EU partnership at work 

{SEC(2008) 2603}

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE COUNCIL AND THE 
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 

One year after Lisbon: The Africa-EU partnership at work 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

At their second Summit in Lisbon in December 2007, the EU and African Heads of State and 
Government adopted a Joint Africa-EU Strategy – an ambitious long-term policy framework 
that  confirmed  their  willingness  to  deepen  their  political  relationship  and  to  address  global 
challenges  together.  This  policy  document,  which  marks  a  fundamental  break  with  the  past 
and provides a comprehensive framework for Africa-EU relations, was complemented by an 
Action  Plan  for  2008-10,  bringing  concrete  substance  to  the  policies  outlined  in  the  Joint 
Strategy. Consisting of 8 sectoral partnerships, the Action Plan is the main operational agenda 
for Africa-EU cooperation until the next Summit, which will be held in Africa in 2010. The 
Joint Strategy and the Africa-related activities of the European Neighbourhood Policy will be 
mutually complementary and reinforcing, both contributing to strengthen Africa-EU relations. 

Leaders also made it clear that 2008 should be a year of implementation and visible progress. 
They  agreed  that  the  European  Commission,  the  Secretariat  of  the  Council  and  the  African 
Union Commission (AUC) would each year submit a progress report on the implementation 
of the Joint Strategy and the Action Plan. Underlining its political commitment to the process, 
the  European  Commission  also  decided  to  prepare  this  Communication  on  progress  and  the 
challenges ahead. 

The purpose of this Communication is threefold: (1) to assess progress made during the first 
year of implementation; (2) to outline the main challenges ahead, thus serving as a basis for 
discussion among all stakeholders – EU Member States and institutions, African countries and 
institutions, parliaments, civil society and international partners , and (3) to provide input for 
the  joint  progress  report  for  the  Ministerial  Troika  meeting  of  November  2008.  The 
Communication  provides  an  overview  of  initial  progress  made  on  the  overall  political 
objectives  of  the  Joint  Strategy  and  the  implementation  of  the  8  partnerships.  A  forward-
looking concluding section outlines the key recommendations on how to move forward, better 
and faster.  

2. 

THE  JOINT  STRATEGY  –  POLITICAL  DIRECTIONS  AND 
ARRANGEMENTS  

INSTITUTIONAL 

The Joint Strategy and the Action Plan set out the main principles, objectives and components 
of the new Africa-EU strategic partnership, and place the relationship on a more mature and 
more  equal  footing  by  taking  dialogue  and  cooperation  “beyond  development”,  “beyond 
Africa” and “beyond institutions”. Almost one year on, initial progress has been made: 

•  “Beyond  development”:  Africa  remains  high  on  the  EU's  foreign  policy  agenda,  with 
dialogue  increasingly  going  beyond  the  confines  of  traditional  development  issues, 
agencies and officials. The intensification of high-level contacts, in particular in the area of 
peace and security, as exemplified by the Troika meetings of the EU Political and Security 

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Committee (PSC) and the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) in October and of Africa-
EU  Defence  Ministers  in  November  2008,  underlines  this  broadening  interest.  However, 
Africa is still too frequently thought of and addressed as a "development issue", and more 
needs  to  be  done  to  mobilise  political  engagement  and  financial  resources  from 
stakeholders outside the development community.  

•  “Beyond Africa": Here too, the first results are encouraging but uneven. While the EU and 
Africa  are  increasingly  discussing  and  cooperating  on  global  issues  such  as  peace  and 
security,  or  climate  change,  energy  and  food  security,  the  focus  of  the  discussion  often 
remains  limited  to  Africa  –  the  impact  of  climate  change  on  Africa,  energy  and  food 
security in Africa etc. Both sides also need to do more to step up cooperation in the UN, in 
other  international  fora,  and  in  multilateral  negotiations  on  key  issues  like  trade,  human 
rights or climate change. They should also identify common ground and work together on 
regional and global political issues.  

•  "Beyond institutions": One of the main innovations of this people-centred partnership is 
the involvement of a wide spectrum of non-traditional actors from civil society, the private 
sector and academia. While there is genuine interest to seriously engage, both sides should 
work  harder  to  identify  financial  means  and  develop  practical  working  arrangements  to 
enable the active involvement and interaction of non-institutional actors.  

The Ministerial Troika of 16 September 2008 adopted the first implementation report on the 
Joint  Strategy  and  the  Action  Plan,  welcomed  the  progress  made,  and  endorsed  a  series  of 
concrete  recommendations  on  the  way  ahead.  On  the  EU  side,  the  working  arrangements 
agreed in Lisbon have been strengthened through a series of additional measures. The task of 
implementing  the  thematic  Africa-EU  partnerships  has  been  given  to  8  EU  Implementation 
Teams  (ITs)  consisting  of  particularly  committed  Member  States,  the  Commission  and  the 
Council  Secretariat,  under  the  overall  coordination  of  the  Council's  Africa  Working  Group. 
As regards financial aspects, EU Member States are invited to contribute to the funding of the 
activities foreseen, while the European Commission will translate its financial commitments 
to  support  the  Joint  Strategy  and  Action  Plan  by  optimizing  the  use  of  funding  sources  and 
instruments  available  under  the  EC  Budget  under  the  current  Multi-annual  Financial 
Framework and the EDF. 

On the African side, the AUC has remained the focal point. While several African countries 
and organisations have signalled interest in the process, additional actors and counterparts for 
the EU ITs should be rapidly mobilised to implement and coordinate the partnerships – these 
“locomotives”  could  include  beyond  the  AUC  the  regional  economic  communities  (RECs) 
and the African Development Bank (AfDB), as well as individual countries. 

Initial efforts have also been made to open up the process to international partners, including 
the  World  Bank,  the  UN  system  and  G-8  countries.  This  work  should  now  move  beyond 
policy dialogue to concrete cooperation at the level of each partnership. 

Finally, 2008 has seen a considerable strengthening of contacts between EU institutions and 
their AU counterparts. The establishment of a new 'double-hatted' EU Delegation to the AU in 
Addis  Ababa,  the  ever-intensifying  Commission-to-Commission  dialogue  and  cooperation 
agenda,  as  well  as  the  budding  partnership  between  the  European  and  Pan-African 
Parliaments are cases in point. 
Communication  and  language  are  fundamental  building  blocks  in  the  democratic  and 
participatory process of citizens,  for which well-functioning cooperation and  services  of the 
EU and AU in the area of information, communication and language are essential. 

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This  contributes  to  another  overarching  objective,  namely  to  support  Africa's  political  and 
economic  integration,  and  to  strengthen  the  AU  and  its  Commission  as  effective  partner 
institutions in Africa. 

3. 

THE PARTNERSHIPS 

On  the  EU  side,  the  proactive  engagement  of  Member  States,  the  Commission  and  other 
European institutions and stakeholders has been instrumental for making early progress in the 
8  partnerships,  in  line  with  international  commitments  on  greater  aid  efficiency,  policy 
coherence  for  development  and  division  of  labour  and  the  mainstreaming  of  issues  such  as 
gender equality. The following sections highlight progress made so far and the way forward in 
terms  of  priority  actions.  The  Commission  Staff  Working  Document  annexed  to  this 
Communication  provides  a  more  comprehensive  overview  of  the  achievements  and  priority 
deliverables under the 8 thematic partnerships. 

3.1. 

Africa-EU Partnership on Peace and Security 

Peace  and  security  remain  among  the  top  priorities  for  Africa-EU  co-operation.  The  main 
focus  of  this  Partnership  is  the  interconnection  between  policy,  operational  objectives  and 
funding.  A  reinforced  dialogue  on  peace  and  security  challenges  in  Africa,  Europe  and 
globally  must  be  matched  by  African  leaders'  political  will,  underpinned  by  the  capacity  to 
respond to challenges on the continent and beyond. The Joint Strategy, in turn, acknowledges 
that Africa cannot be left alone to bear the burdens of peace support operations (PSOs). 

This year, political and technical discussions have addressed major political crises in Africa, 
such  as  Kenya,  Zimbabwe,  Mauritania,  peace  support  dialogues  and  measures  for  Somalia, 
the  crisis  in  Darfur,  the  AU-led  PSO  in  the  Central  African  Republic  and  the  EU's  military 
ESDP  mission  in  Chad.  Specific  efforts  have  also  been  devoted  to  improve  financial  and 
technical  support  for  the  AU's  capacity  to  plan,  conduct  and  manage  PSOs  which  require 
further  strengthening.  In  this  context,  good  progress  is  being  made  on  preparing  the  second 
African Peace Facility, with an allocation of €300 million for the period 2008-10, and with a 
more  comprehensive  approach  going  beyond  PSOs  and  capacity  building  and  including 
conflict prevention and post-conflict stabilization. 

The  EU  IT  has  begun  to  identify  specific  deliverables,  to  be  as  soon  as  possible  discussed 
with African partners. These include, inter alia, reinforcement of the African Standby Force 
through  dedicated  military  and  civilian  training,  increased  early  warning  capacity,  and 
enhanced  co-operation  to  combat  terrorism  as  well  as  the  illicit  trafficking  of  firearms. 
Financial  and  technical  support  is  being  given  for  the  necessary  strengthening  of  the  AU's 
capacity  to  plan,  conduct  and  manage  PSOs.  Discussions  on  sustainable  and  predictable 
funding  for  African–led  PSOs  will  soon  start  within  the  UN  framework.  Six  "lead  actors" 
have been designated to co-lead the Partnership's three priority areas.  

3.2. 

Africa-EU Partnership on Democratic Governance and Human Rights 

This Partnership aims at developing a common understanding of democratic governance and 
at promoting and consolidating a shared human rights agenda, confirming the commitment to 
work together to protect and promote the human rights of all people in Africa and Europe. It 
also includes strengthening cooperation on culture. 

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Africa-EU  dialogue  and  cooperation  on  democratic  governance  and  human  rights  has  been 
going on for many years within the framework of the EU's external action, development and 
neighbourhood  policies  and  instruments.  Maximising  synergies  with  key  ongoing  processes 
will facilitate supporting governance reforms and ensuring effective protection and promotion 
of human rights and freedoms. 

Consolidating democratic governance in ACP countries through dialogue and incentives is the 
main objective of the Governance Incentive Tranche process, by which €2.7 billion has been 
allocated to those countries that put forward Governance Action Plans. The EU and the AU 
will work together to support African countries' efforts to build their own democratic systems 
and implement national plans of reform, but also to encourage political will where democratic 
processes have been interrupted or delayed. 

The  AU  and  the  EU  have  launched  debates  on  local  governance,  which  offer  further 
opportunities  for  joint  work.  The  EU  will  invite  the  AU  to  jointly  follow  up  on  these 
reflections,  particularly  after  the  European  Development  Days  in  Strasbourg  in  November 
2008,  which  will  focus  on  these  issues.  Joint  work  on  the  role  and  pluralism  of  media  is 
equally envisaged.  

This  Partnership  should  also  facilitate  implementing  the  conclusions  of  the  AU/EU  Human 
Rights  Dialogue.  The  EU  will  invite  the  AU  to  jointly  identify  issues  for  cooperation  in 
international fora and to consider joint initiatives. Civil society organisations from Africa and 
the EU will be invited to engage in parallel discussions and to feed into this dialogue. 

This  Partnership  will  contribute  to  consolidating  the  Pan-African  governance  and  human 
rights  architecture.  The  AU  and  the  EU  Commissions  will  assess  the  results  of  ongoing 
capacity  development  support  with  a  view  to  jointly  setting  priorities  for  enhanced 
cooperation  in  this  area.  Specific  attention  will  be  given  to  consolidate  African  electoral 
assistance and observation capacities, and to address the management of post-electoral crises. 

An  inventory  of  activities  in  the  area  of  cultural  goods  will  begin  in  2009  and  serve  as  the 
basis for structuring priorities in this field. 

Finally, to involve the widest possible range of actors and stakeholders, the AU and the EU 
will launch in 2009 a “Platform for dialogue on democratic governance and human rights”.  

3.3. 

Africa-EU Partnership on Trade and Regional Integration 

The  main  objective  of  this  Partnership  is  to  support  the  socio-economic  and  political 
integration of Africa, to accelerate the creation of larger and regionally-integrated markets and 
to improve and sustain African infrastructure and services. The removal of internal customs 
barriers  within  Africa,  as  well  as  enhanced  capacity  of  administrations,  producers  and 
exporters at all levels to meet the regulatory requirements of their export markets, are crucial 
in  this  regard.  The  recent  Communication  on  regional  integration  for  development  in  ACP 
countries1  is  the  European  Commission's  contribution  to  this  debate.  The  Economic 
Partnership  Agreements  (EPAs)  remain  high  on  the  agenda  and,  when  concluded  on  a 
comprehensive  regional  basis,  will  be  a  cornerstone  of  EU  support  for  African  regional 
integration. 

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COM(2008)xxx,  01.10.2008 

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The harmonisation of laws, regulations, procedures, norms and standards across Africa could 
usefully be addressed at pan-African level as a complement to regional efforts. One possible 
key deliverable concerns sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS), in particular as regards 
human  capacity-building  and  information-sharing  on  a  continental  basis.  A  high-level 
European Commission mission to Africa is expected in early 2009.  

The Africa-EU Partnership on Infrastructure was launched in 2007, before the adoption of the 
Joint  Strategy,  and  implementation  began  in  2008.  It  aims  to  substantially  increase  EU 
investment in African infrastructure, thereby contributing to the interconnectivity of Africa. It 
uses  various  financial  instruments:  NIPs/RIPs  (10th  EDF),  which  will  support  regional 
transport,  energy  and  communications  corridors,  the  Energy  and  Water  Facilities,  and  the 
Infrastructure Trust Fund, which allows the blending of grants and loans. The Trust Fund has 
already received €108 million from the 9 th EDF – more funds are expected under the 10th EDF 
– and €38 million from eleven EU Member Stat es. The European Investment Bank and other 
donors have also announced loans to the Trust Fund in excess of €250 million. Finally, a €10 
million support programme will help the AU Commission to formulate and promote policies 
and actions to respond to African infrastructure challenges. 

3.4. 

Africa-EU Partnership on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 

This  Partnership  should  serve  as  a  forum  for  intensified  continent-to-continent  policy 
dialogue,  cooperation  and  joint  actions  with  a  view  to  achieving  all  MDGs  in  all  African 
countries by 2015. It identifies four priority actions: 

•  Ensuring the finance and policy base for achieving the MDGs; 

•  Accelerating the achievement of MDG food security targets; 

•  Accelerating the achievement of MDG health targets; 

•  Accelerating the achievement of MDG education targets. 

In  June  2008,  EU  Heads  of  State  and  Government  confirmed  their  commitments  regarding 
increased official development assistance (ODA) targets for 2010 and 2015, and adopted an 
Agenda for Action on the MDGs. This sets out increased sectoral EU support and examples of 
EU  actions  to  be  carried  out  as  part  of  its  existing  ODA  commitments.  It  represents  a 
collective  European  offer  to  developing  partners  and  to  the  international  community.  While 
being global, the Agenda identifies Africa as a clear priority, and is consistent with the work 
of the Africa MDG Steering Group set up by the UN Secretary General (UNSG).  

It is essential to identify where the work at continent-to-continent level brings added value to 
existing initiatives, bearing in mind the need to link work at Africa-EU level with activities at 
national, sub-regional and multilateral levels. At continental level, the EU Agenda for Action 
could  be  used  as  a  policy  tool  to  (1)  raise  awareness  on  the  MDGs  and  stimulate  Africa's 
identification  of  its  own  needs  and  priorities,  (2)  trigger  improvement  in  monitoring  MDG 
progress  at  continental  level  and  (3)  develop  common  Africa-EU  positions  on  MDGs  for 
major international meetings. At country level, the Agenda could be used as a tool for policy 
dialogue  to:  (1)  where  not  yet  available,  set  "nationalized"  MDG  milestones  and  targets 
adapted to country contexts and improve national data and monitoring systems, (2) promote 
better  integration  of  the  MDGs  in  national  development  strategies  and  (3)  identify  concrete 
actions and successful practices to accelerate progress on MDG targets. 

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Short-term deliverables on the finance and policy aspects should include joint identification of 
priority  milestones  and  actions  on  the  basis  of  the  EU  Agenda  for  Action  and  the  recently 
adopted recommendations of the UNSG's MDGs Africa Steering Group. An early deliverable 
on food security would be joint work on reinforcing the link between the EC Food Security 
Thematic  Programme, the  proposed  EU  Food  Facility,  and  the  African  Framework 
the  Comprehensive  Africa  Agricultural  Development 
for Food Security outlined 
Programme  (Pillar  3),  in  particular  in  the  field  of  agricultural  research,  food  security 
information  systems,  improved  food  security  risk  management  and  support  to  regional  and 
continental farmers' organisations. There are opportunities for coherence with the EU Agenda 
for  Action,  as  regards  the  strengthening  of  health  and  education  financing,  addressing  the 
human resources crisis in the health sector as well as the considerable shortfall in numbers of 
trained teachers and in education quality.  

in 

3.5. 

Africa-EU Partnership on Energy 

Energy is an area where Africa and Europe share important mutual interests and face similar 
challenges. The objective of this Partnership is threefold: strengthened Africa-EU dialogue on 
energy  access  and  security,  improved  access  to  energy  services,  increased  investment  in 
infrastructure and promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency. 

In September 2008, the European Commissioners for Energy and for Development undertook 
a joint mission to Africa focussing on energy issues. The visit to the AUC and three countries 
-  Ethiopia,  Nigeria  and  Burkina  Faso  –  reflect  both  the  energy  diversity  and  potential  in 
Africa. The regional aspects also featured high on the agenda of the visit, as interconnections 
will be crucial from an energy viewpoint, but also as a stabilising factor between countries of 
the various RECs. 

During this visit an agreement was reached between the European Commission and the AUC 
on the main priorities and governance setup for the implementation of the Africa-EU Energy 
partnership  and  a  "Joint  Statement  on  the  Implementation  of  the  Africa-EU  Energy 
Partnership" was signed. This Statement is the first formal sectoral agreement to follow up the 
Lisbon  Summit,  and  was  endorsed  during  the  European  Commission-AU  Commission 
College-to-College meeting on 1 October 2008 in Brussels.  

The governance set-up of the partnership is complete: the EU IT has met several times, the 
African Core Group has been established, and on 15-16 October 2008 the first meeting of the 
Informal  Joint  Expert  Group  will  take  place  in  Addis  Ababa.  Furthermore,  the  first  High-
Level Africa-EU Meeting on Energy is now agreed to take place in 2009, back to back with 
the Energy Partnership Forum which will include civil society and the private sector.  

The priorities agreed in the Joint Statement are: regional integration and upgrading of energy 
infrastructure,  the  promotion  of  an  enabling  environment  for  private  sector  investment, 
improving  access  to  energy  services,  exploring  Africa's  renewable  energy  potential  in  a 
sustainable way, improving energy efficiency and reducing waste. On this basis, the Informal 
Joint Expert Group on Energy will establish a roadmap for the implementation of the above 
priorities. Bilateral energy dialogue with specific African countries or regions is underway. 

In  2008,  several  energy  projects  in  support  to  the  implementation  of  this  Partnership  have 
been or will be contracted under the existing financial instruments and thematic programmes, 
including  the  Energy  Facility,  Africa-EU  Infrastructure  Partnership  and  its  Trust  Fund, 

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bilateral  and  regional  EDF  programmes,  Environment,  sustainable  management  of  natural 
resources including energy - ENRTP programme. 

3.6. 

Africa-EU Partnership on Climate Change 

This  Partnership  includes  2  interlinked  priority  actions:  (1)  building  a  common  agenda  on 
climate change policies and cooperation, and (2) addressing land degradation and increasing 
aridity. 

The first Priority Action focuses on African countries targeted by the Global Climate Change 
Alliance  (GCCA)2  as  a  framework  to  enhance  AU-EU  political  dialogue  and  cooperation. 
This  provides  a  privileged channel to develop a  shared Africa-EU  vision on climate change 
and  adaptation.  The  African  Climate  Information  for  Development  in  Africa  (ClimDev 
Africa) concept is the second leg of this priority action3. ClimDev is closely linked to disaster 
risk  reduction,  one  of  the  GCCA  priority  areas.  First  deliverables  should  include  a  joint 
political  Africa-EU  declaration  on  climate  change  and  the  GCCA4,  in  preparation  for  the 
Poznan Conference on the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2008 
(where  an  overall  EU-Least  Developed  Countries  and  Small  Islands  Developing  States 
Declaration will be tabled) and on the basis of African "climate" priorities.5 

The  second  Priority  Action  is  the  fight  against  land  degradation  in  Africa.  Here,  the  Green 
Wall for the Sahara Initiative is a flagship that could join up continental, national and local 
African  efforts  and  institutions  working  on  sustainable  land  management.  The  Partnership 
will support activities such as capacity-building, mainstreaming of sustainable land and water 
management,  local  community  development  and  empowerment,  and  natural  resource 
management at local level. Early deliverables include the completion of the initial institutional 
scoping study in early 2009 and the adoption of the Plan of Action by the AU Commission in 
January 2009. 

For both actions, there is a need to identify a core group of stakeholders capable of driving the 
process and the mapping exercise started at EU level will be instrumental in this respect. 

In addition, the European Commission and the AU are pursuing their wider dialogue on the 
environment,  encompassing  the  implementation  of  Multilateral  Environment  Agreements, 
disaster  risk  reduction,  integration  of  environment  in  development  and  coordination  with 
various relevant pan-African partners (AUC, NEPAD, AMCEN, UNEP). 

3.7. 

Africa-EU Partnership on Migration, Mobility and Employment 

This  Partnership  builds  upon  the  Africa-EU  Declaration  of  Tripoli,  the  Africa-EU  Plan  of 
Action on trafficking of human beings and the Ouagadougou Declaration and Action Plan on 
Employment and Poverty Alleviation. The Partnership will provide holistic responses related 
to  migration,  mobility  and  employment,  both  within  and  between  the  2  continents,  with  the 

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The European Commission launched in September 2007 the Global Climate Change Alliance initiative 
between  the  European  Union  and  developing  countries  which  will  be  hit  hardest  by  the  impact  of 
climate  change,  in  particular  Least  Developed  Countries  (LDC)  and  Small  Island  Developing  States. 
COM(2007)540, 18.9.2007; Council Conclusions 15103/07; SEC(2008) 2319, 15.7.2008. 
A  joint  initiative  between  the  Global  Climate  Observing  System,  the  UN  Economic  Commission  for 
Africa and the AUC, aiming at improving the availability of climate data in Africa for decision makers. 
Possibly at the Africa-EU Ministerial Troika meeting scheduled for November 2008. 
Cf  inter  alia  the  results  of  the  June  2008  Conference  of  African  Ministers  of  the  Environment 
(AMCEN). 

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objective of creating more and better jobs in Africa, advancing the Decent Work agenda, and 
better managing migration flows. 

The African side has launched its consultation with the RECs on migration. The Euro-African 
high  level  dialogue  on  the  Western  African  migratory  route  is  moving  forward  with  the 
organisation of a Ministerial conference in Paris on migration and development in November 
2008. 

Reliable  data  and  analysis  are  crucial  for  the  definition  and  implementation  of  appropriate 
policies.  The  European  Commission  will  further  support  the  establishment  of  a  network  of 
Migration  Observatories  in  Sub-Saharan  Africa.  Establishing  a  structured  dialogue  with  the 
African Diaspora and supporting its role in Africa's development is a shared priority for the 
EU  and  the  AU,  the  latter  considering  the  African  Diaspora  as  its  "sixth  region".  This  is 
resulting  in  the  forthcoming  organisation  of  the  first  African  Diaspora  Summit  as  well  as 
various initiatives on the European side to strengthen its dialogue with the African Diaspora. 
Acknowledging  the  increasing  importance  of  remittances  in  many  African  countries,  the 
European Commission will support the establishment of an African Remittances Institute in 
2009, under the leadership of the AU Commission and in collaboration with the World Bank.  

Ongoing  cooperation  with  African  partners  also  includes  promoting  regional  dialogue  and 
cooperation on fighting illegal immigration, smuggling of migrants and trafficking of human 
beings.  One  innovative  approach  concretely  linking  migration,  mobility,  employment  and 
vocational  training,  inspired  by  earlier  initiatives  in  Morocco  and  Tunisia,  is  the  European 
Community's  support  for  the  Migration  Information  and  Management  Centre  in  Mali 
(CIGEM). There is already an African interest in replicating such experiences. The Erasmus 
Mundus,  Tempus  and  Nyerere  programmes  provide  opportunities  for  a  greater  mobility  of 
qualified  African  students  in  Africa  and  Europe.  Additionally,  the  Youth  in  Action 
Programme supports Euro-African mobility among young people. 

3.8. 

Africa-EU Partnership on Science, Information Society and Space  

This  partnership  will  contribute  to  the  bridging  of  the  digital  and  scientific  divides,  to  the 
strengthening  of  African  capacities in the areas of Science, ICTs and Space technology and 
applications,  and  to  enhancing  their  use  as  key  enablers  for  poverty  reduction,  growth  and 
socio-economic  development.  The  Partnership  will  provide  support  for  Africa's  S&T 
Consolidated Plan of Action (CPA) and the African Regional Action Plan for the Knowledge 
Economy (ARAPKE). 

The Partnership represents an excellent opportunity to foster S&T and Information Society in 
EU  development  aid  and  in  the  wider  Africa-EU  partnership.  There  is  now  a  need  for  both 
early policy deliverables and a common long-term view.  

The AUC has proposed 19 Lighthouse Projects for implementation under this Partnership: 12 
on S&T, 5 on Information Society and 2 on Space. Out of these, six – two for each priority 
action  –  are  considered  as  urgent  and  mature  for  early  implementation.  The  relevant 
Commissioners  of  the  AU  Commission  and  European  Commission  established  in  a  Joint 
Statement  on  1st  October  2008  that  these  projects  should  be  the  basis  for  the  further 
implementation of this Partnership.  

Concerning  the  "Space"  dimension,  the  EU  and  AU  have  agreed  to  cooperate  on  the  EU 
initiative  Global  Monitoring  for  Environment  and  Security,  now  called  KOPERNIKUS,  as 
part of the EU-AU partnership. Work is being carried out to draft a joint action plan. The aim 

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is to submit the action plan to the next Africa-EU Summit in Libya in 2010. This process was 
launched during the informal AU Commission-European Commission meeting on GMES in 
Africa, held in Accra (Ghana) on 4-6 October 2008. In parallel, the AUC and the European 
Commission  are  exploring  ways  to  optimize  the  use  of  geospatial  science  for  sustainable 
development, focusing on natural resources, food security, crisis management and renewable 
energies through the set-up of an ad hoc system in Addis Ababa, based on current practices of 
the EC's Joint Research Centre. 

4. 

CONCLUSIONS AND WAY FORWARD  

At the Lisbon Summit in December 2007, EU and African leaders stressed the importance of 
early  progress  and  concrete  deliverables  in  implementing  the  Joint  Strategy  and  its  Action 
Plan. 2008 has been a significant year in Africa-EU relations: long-standing cooperation has 
been further strengthened and important new policy initiatives have been launched. The basis 
for  the  long-term  success  of  the  Strategy  –  an  innovative  policy  approach  and  effective 
working  arrangements  –  is  in  place.  Both  sides  have  already  started  to  implement  the 
ambitious  operational  agenda  of  the  thematic  partnerships.  The  initial  progress  needs  to  be 
accelerated, broadened and consolidated. The Troika of 16 September 2008 rightly underlined 
that  both  sides  now  need  to  intensify  efforts  so  that  this  partnership  delivers  all  expected 
results. 

An important next step is the establishment of the Joint Expert Groups which will implement 
and  coordinate  the  8  partnerships.  This  requires  effective  working  arrangements  on  the 
African  side,  including  a  clear  definition  of  the  respective  contributions,  roles  and 
responsibilities  of  African  countries,  the  AUC  and  other  pan-African  bodies,  the  RECs  and 
other  relevant  stakeholders.  Parliaments,  civil  societies,  the  private  sector,  multilateral 
organisations  and  committed  international  partners  need  to  engage  in  the  implementation 
process.  Last,  but  not  least,  both  sides  should  promote  greater  policy  coherence  and 
complementarity  between  the  thematic  partnerships,  and  step  up  their  communication  and 
information  sharing  efforts,  so  that  stakeholders,  interested  citizens,  journalists  and 
researchers can monitor the progress and results of this partnership. 

Taking account also of the discussions during the European Commission and the AUC at their 
College-to-College  meeting  on  1  October  2008,  the  European  Commission  has  therefore 
identified  recommendations  for  the  way  ahead,  focusing  on  key  issues  to  be  urgently 
addressed: 

(1) 

(2) 

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. 

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.  

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(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

(9) 

Before November 2008, first consultative discussions should be held with key non-
institutional 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.  

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.  

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.  

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.  

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.  

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. 

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. 

Finally, as an overarching common element that should be integrated in all the 8 partnerships, 
more  emphasis  should  be  placed  on  communication  –  a  successful  and  people-centred 
partnership  requires  transparency  on  both  the  achievements  and  challenges  of  the  process. 
Process and progress should be presented in simple and accessible language on paper, through 
television and radio, and online.  

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