Commission staff working document accompanying the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council - One year after Lisbon: the Africa-EU partnership at work - Commission contributions to the implementation of the EU-Africa Action Plan (2008-2010) {COM(2008) 617}
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 
SEC(2008) 2603 final 

COMMISSION STAFF WORKING DOCUMENT 

accompanying the 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL 

ONE YEAR AFTER LISBON: THE AFRICA-EU PARTNERSHIP AT WORK  

Commission contributions to the implementation of the  
EU-Africa Action Plan 

(2008-2010) 

{COM(2008) 617} 

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I. AIM AND PURPOSE OF THIS WORKING DOCUMENT 

(1) 

(2) 

The  Commission  Communication  COM  (2008)  617  "One  year  after  Lisbon  –  the 
Africa-EU partnership at work" aims to assess the first year of the Joint Strategy and 
its first Action Plan (2008-2010), to outline the main challenges ahead, and to provide 
inputs  for  the  next  joint  progress  report.  The  Communication  reviews  the  initial 
progress  made  on  the  overall  political  objectives  of  the  Joint  Strategy  and  on  the 
implementation of the 8 thematic partnerships.  

The  present  staff  working  document  complements  the  above  Communication  by 
providing  a  first  indicative  overview  of  concrete  short-  and  mid-term  deliverables 
proposed by the Commission for this strategic partnership. Based on the results of the 
College-to-College  meeting  of  01  October  2008  between  the  European  Commission 
and  the  African  Union  Commission  (AUC),  preliminary  discussions  in  the  EU 
Implementation  Teams,  and  a  series  of  internal  inter-service  consultations,  this 
working document identifies ongoing or planned activities through which the EU, and 
in  particular  the  European  Commission,  could  contribute  the  eight  thematic 
partnerships  of  the  Action  Plan.  However,  the  successful  implementation  of  this 
strategic partnership relies both on the shared responsibility between African and the 
EU  side.  Within  the  EU,  success  depends  on  effective  burden  sharing,  division  of 
labour and coherence between Member States and the Commission. In order to meet 
the  ambition  of  the  Joint  Strategy,  the  Commission's  inputs  have  therefore  to  be 
matched  by  activities  of  Member  States.  While  the  present  working  document 
concentrates  on  the  European  Commission  contributions  to  necessarily  broader 
European,  and  Euro-African,  implementation  efforts,  the  forthcoming  joint  progress 
reports of November 2008 will provide a more comprehensive overview. 

in  order 

to  reflect 

in  greater  detail 

(3)  Within  the  Commission,  too,  this  first  Staff  working  document  will  be  further 
the  substantive  roadmaps, 
developed 
implementation timelines, actors and financial instruments available for the European 
Commission  contribution  to  the  identified  cooperation  activities.  The  Directorate 
General  for Development and Relations with ACP States (DG  DEV), in cooperation 
with DG RELEX as far as the North African dimension is concerned, has the overall 
responsibility  for  policy  steering,  guidance  and  coordination  of  the  implementation 
process. DG DEV and RELEX will also contribute to the implementation of the eight 
thematic partnerships through the programming of their respective geographic and/or 
thematic financial instruments, such as the European Development Fund (EDF) , the 
Development Cooperation Instrument (DCI), the European Instrument for Democracy 
and  Human  Rights  (EIDHR), 
the  European  Neighbourhood  and  Partnership 
Instrument  (ENPI),  the  Instrument  for  Stability  (IfS).  DG  AIDCO  will  remain 
systematically  involved,  notably  at  the  operational  implementation  level  of  each 
thematic  partnership.  But  in addition  to  this  group,  other  line-DGs,  too,  in  particular 
those in charge of internal policies with an external dimension relevant for Africa, will 
have to continue and step up their participation in this collective effort, including with 
dedicated human resources and financial instruments under their management. These 
DGs  include,  inter  alia,  AGRI,  EAC,  EMPL,  ENV,  INFSO,  JLS,  REGIO,  RTD, 
SANCO,  TAXUD,  TRADE,  TREN,  as  well  as  the  JRC  (Joint  Research  Centre)  and 
the internal Commission DGs and services under the coordination of DG ADMIN. In 
this  context,  a  distinct  section  of  the  present  working  document  lists  the  additional 

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initiatives  undertaken  in  the  field  of  administrative  and  technical  cooperation  to 
strengthen  the  capacities  of  the  African  Union  Commission  (AUC)  in  areas  such  as 
strategic  planning,  administrative  and  financial  management,  human  resources 
development,  and  multilingualism,  and  to  develop  exchanges  and  information  on 
topics of mutual interest. In these areas, too, various Commission DGs, including DGs 
ADMIN, BUDG, DGT, EUROSTAT, IAS, DG COMM, SCIC, the Legal Service and 
the Secretariat General, will contribute to further cooperation activities. Finally, and in 
order  to  address  the  financing  of  the  working  arrangements  and  institutional 
architecture  agreed  in  Lisbon,  the  European  Commission  suggests  to  set  aside 
resources  from  the  55MEuro  AU  capacity  building  programme  –  managed  by  the 
AUC - to further support the participation of the African side. 

II.  SHORT-  AND  MID  TERM  COMMISSION  DELIVERABLES  FOR  THE  EIGHT  THEMATIC 

PARTNERSHIPS 

(4)  Within the framework of the Peace and Security partnership, the Commission will 
contribute  in  the  following  way  to  achieving  results  in  each  of  the  three  priority 
actions1 : 

(a) 

In the framework of an enhanced dialogue on challenges to peace and security, 
the  Commission  will  participate  in  political  dialogue  meetings  such  as  AU 
PSC-EU  PSC  meeting  (30.09.2008),  EU-AU  Defence  Ministers  Troika 
(20.11.2008)  and  Foreign  Ministers  Troika  (21.11.2008).  The  services  (DG 
DEV  and  RELEX)  will  also  participate  in  joint  assessment  missions,  in 
particular  in  view  of  monitoring  APF-funded  Peace  Support  Operations 
(PSOs).  The  Sahel  region  has  been  identified  for  a  first  informal  joint 
assessment in the field of collective security and preventive diplomacy with a 
view to anticipating security challenges there. The cooperation with the Centre 
Africain d'Etudes et de Recherche sur le Terrorisme (CAERT) in  the field of 
counter-terrorism  will  be  reinforced.  The  current  funding  (1  MEuros  under 
MEDA, the EC's main financial instrument for the implementation of the Euro-
Mediterranean  Partnership)  will  be  complemented  by  a  first  action  under  the 
Instrument  for  Stability  (IfS)  to  start  before  the  end  of  2008,  and  will  be 
followed  by  a  programme  for  2009-2011  in  support  of  the  Sahel  Region. 
Finally,  in  the  area  of  fighting  the  illicit  trafficking  of  small  arms  and  light 
weapons  (SALW),  work  with  African  mandated  organizations/regional 
implementation  of  regional 
mechanisms  will  continue 
conventions  and  strategies;  initial  funding  should  start  before  end  of  2008 
Another  programme  with  a  wide  regional  scope  in  support  of  African 
countries’  capacities  to  fight  organised  crime/  terrorism  is  foreseen  under  the 
action programme for 2009-2011.  

to  support 

the 

(b) 

The  Commission  will  continue  to  support  the  full  operationalization  of  the 
African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). An envelop of €65M focused 
mainly  on  this  objective  will  be  proposed  under  the  second  African  Peace 
to  AU  political-military 
Facility  (2008-2010).  The  ongoing  assistance 

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Under this partnership, actions are essentially managed by DG DEV and DG RELEX, in cooperation 
with the General Secretariat of the Council. 

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structures  (Peace  and  Security  Department,  Peace  and  Security  Operations 
Department,  and  Strategic  Planning  Management  Unit  (SPMU)  and  the 
recruitment  of  AU  planners  and  experts  will  be  further  financed  through  the 
APF and the IfS, as well as through a possible CFSP Joint Action. In response 
to the European’s Commission concerns, the AU Commission confirmed that it 
will address as a matter of priority the issue of speeding up the recruitment of 
African  planners  under  the  IfS‘s  programme  in  support  of  the  SPMU.  The 
ongoing  co-operation  to  strengthen  the  African  Continental  Early  Warning 
System (CEWS) will be further reinforced both through the support under the 
APF,  at  the  continental  and  regional  level,  and  through  a  follow-up  project 
focusing  on  information  and  communications  equipment,  training,  exchanges 
of  expertise,  and  exchanges  of  officials(which  has  started  in  the  Summer  of 
2008). Support will also be provided to the work of the Panel of the Wise on 
crisis-prone  elections.  Support  for  the  training  and  exercises  of  the  African 
Stand–by  Force  (ASF)  will  continue,  and  a  programme  focussed  on  African 
Training Centres will be launched under the APF. In the field of strengthening 
African  military  capabilities,  the  Euro-RECAMP  /  AMANI-Africa  Initiative 
will  be  launched  (20.11.2008),  and  a  Contributors  Conference,  training 
courses,  a  Pol-Mil  seminar  (2009),  and  the  Command-Post  Exercise  (2010) 
will  also  take  place.  In  the  field  of  Civilian  crisis  management,  the  planned 
mapping  and  needs  assessments  will  develop  and  operationalise  civilian 
training and police aspects. Possible funding will be provided through existing 
instruments.  Last,  but  certainly  not  least,  ongoing  APF  funding  to  AU-led 
Peace Support Operations will continue, complemented by possible additional 
contributions form EU Member States and the CFSP Budget. 

(5) 

(c) 

In  the  third  priority  area,  predictable  funding  for  Africa-led  PSOs,  the 
Commission  will  put  in  place  the  second  African  Peace  Facility  with  an 
allocation  of  300MEuro  for  the  period  2008-2010,  plus  a  reserve  of  another 
300  MEuro  for  the  period  2011-2013.  The  Commission  will  also  provide  its 
support  to  the  AU/UN  Panel  on  African  peace-keeping,  in  particular  through 
sharing  experiences/lessons-learned  from  the  support  provided  to  African 
peace operations under the APF and through expert advice.  

In the partnership on Democratic Governance and Human Rights, the Commission2 
will  contribute  to  launching  the  Governance  Platform  by  2009,  and  will  involve  the 
AU in the preparation of the European Charter of cooperation on Local Governance. 
In  the  field  of  AU  Capacity  building,  the  use  of  available  EC  support  will  be 
maximized by reviewing actions so far and identifying shared priorities by the end of 
2008,  in  order  to  ensure  adequate  support  to  the  various  components  of  the  AU 
Democratic Governance and Human Rights architecture. In the area of Human Rights, 
the European Commission will support a first joint civil society meeting back to back 
with the forthcoming session of the EU-AU Human Rights Dialogue in 2009, and will 
identify by early 2009 themes and format for joint initiative at the UN. With regard to 
election observations, the European Commission will promote closer consultations in 
the field between the EU and AU observation missions in the same African countries, 
in particular with regard to international standards and code of conduct. The European 

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Commission  stands  ready  to  support  and  promote  EU  Member  States  in  exchange 
programmes  for  election  observers,  which  could  include  the  invitation  of  AU 
observers  to  elections  in  the  EU,  starting  with  the  next  elections  for  the  European 
Parliament, and launch a pilot project in support to AU election observation activities 
with  a  view  to  consolidating  the  AU’s  good  practices.  Finally,  the  European 
Commission will step up support for the training of AU election observers, including 
dedicated training, seminars or internships. 

(6) 

In the partnership on trade and regional integration, the Commission will continue to 
provide support to the implementation of the following priority actions : 

(a) 

(b) 

(c) 

In the domain of supporting the African integration agenda, the Commission3 
will  use  its  Communication  on  regional  integration  as  a  vehicle  for  an 
enhanced  dialogue  on  regional  integration  between  EU  institutions,  Member 
States  and  African  continental  and  regional  organisations.  The  political  and 
technical  dialogue  on  key  issues  to  make  Economic  Partnership  Agreements 
(EPAs) a tool in support of regional integration for development will continue. 
The Commission will cooperate with EU Member States in the framework of 
the EU's commitment to increasing its trade-related assistance to EUR 2 billion 
annually by 2010, and will in particular pursue its initiative for the joint design 
(by Commission and Member States) of regional "aid for trade" packages. 

A series of priority actions in the field of rules and standards will be launched, 
too. In the area of sanitary and phytosanitary standards (SPS), the Commission4 
will  contribute  to  provide  Africa-wide  trainings  on  SPS  (Better  Training  for 
Safer Food initiative), and strengthen the capacity of the AUC officers on SPS 
issues through intensive trainings (e.g. on harmonisation issues) and exchange 
programmes. Other activities will comprise the creation of a platform to share 
information  and  to  enhance  participation  of  African  countries  in  EU  standard 
setting process, initiatives to improve knowledge on food and feed inspection 
services,  and  first  discussions  on  the  rehabilitation  and  modernisation  of 
laboratories for plant and animal testing and certification on products such as 
fisheries  or  leather.  The  Commission  will  initiate  discussions  on  a  support 
programme  to  develop  the  capacities  of  firms  and  agencies  in  the  field  of 
industrial  standards  and  normalisation.  These  actions  will  take  into  account 
ongoing programmes at the regional levels. 

Further  steps  will  be  taken  to  implement  the  Infrastructure  partnership.  The 
Infrastructure  Trust  Fund  has  so  far  received  146  MEuro  in  grants 
(contributions  from  11  EU  Member  States  and  from  the  9th  EDF),  and  the 
European  Commission  i  is  proposing  future  substantial  allocations,  notably 
under the 10th EDF's intra-ACP line. 8 major infrastructure projects have been 
approved  by  the  Executive  Committee,  and  the  2nd  meeting  of  the  Steering 
Committee should take place in November 2008 in Addis Ababa. The start-up 
phase of the Partnership is supported through a 10 MEuro allocation , and some 
of the planned initial activities are already under way. The reinforcement of the 

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AUC  Department  of  Infrastructure  is  foreseen  for  early  2009.  The  AU 
Programme of Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) will be supported 
with  2  MEuro  from  the  55MEuro  AU  Capacity  building  programme,  and  the 
original allocation for sectoral masters plans will be consolidated to finance the 
PIDA.  The  European  Commission  will  also  promote  triangular  cooperation 
with  China  and  Libya  in  the  area  of  African  infrastructure  development,  and 
will  invite  the  AUC  to  participate  in  events  on  Trans-European  Networks. 
Finally, the EU-Africa Aviation Summit in Windhoek on 01.12.2008 will lay 
the  foundation  for  enhanced  cooperation  on  civil  aviation,  and  develop  a 
roadmap for possible concrete cooperation activities.  

(d) 

Supplementary  activities  in  the  area  of  customs,  statistical  harmonization  and 
regional and cross-border cooperation will provide additional substance to the 
implementation of this partnership: 

– 

– 

– 

In  the  area  of  customs,  the  Commission5  will  launch  studies  to  assess 
the  needs  and  potential  for  harmonisation  of  customs  procedures  and 
rules  of  origin  at  African  level,  and  will  provide  support  to  customs 
reforms through information seminars on the basis of the EC "customs 
blueprints".  

The Commission6 will also expand the exchange of experience and best 
practice on regional integration in the fields of statistical harmonisation, 
including through the transfer of Eurostat's know-how in co-ordinating 
continent-wide  statistical  activities  and  the  provision  of  harmonised 
high  quality  statistics  to  support  policy  initiatives.  Eurostat  will 
contribute to capacity building initiatives for pan-African organisations 
in  the  field  of  statistics,  inter  alia  through  by  study  visits  and 
participation by African officials in Eurostat training courses. 

the 
the  domain  of  regional  and  cross-border  cooperation, 
In 
Commission7  will  support  Africa-wide  capacity  building  in  territorial 
planning,  regional  policy  techniques,  cross-border  co-operation  and 
multi  level  governance  through  visits,  high  level  conferences  and 
exchange  programmes  with  the  AUC  and  other  African  regional 
groupings, 
(Forum  of  Global 
Associations  of  Regions),  CRPM  (Conference  of  Peripheral  Maritime 
Regions) and other European regional associations. The AUC and other 
regional  groupings  will  be  invited  to  the  high-level  conference  on 
'Regional Governance in a Global context' (Brussels, 11-12.05.2009). 

in  collaboration  with  FOGAR 

(7)  Within the MDG Partnership, the Commission will, as a part of the EU Agenda for 

Action on MDGs, contribute to the priority actions in the following way : 

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EUROSTAT 
Notably DG REGIO 

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(a)  With regard to accelerating the achievement of the MDG food security targets, 
the Commission8 will work together with the AUC on reinforcing the strategic 
link between the EC instruments and the African Framework for Food Security 
outlined in the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme 
(CAADP)  Pillar  3,  in  particular  in  the  fields  of  agricultural  research,  food 
security  information  systems,  improved  food  security  risk  management,  and 
support  to  regional  and  continental  farmers'  organizations  platforms.  The 
European  Commission  will  work  to  facilitate  a  coordinated  EU  action  in  this 
framework. The European Commission will also work to allow proper support 
to  AU  capacity  with  a  view  to  prioritizing  agriculture  in  African  policies, 
namely  through  the  implementation  of  the  monitoring  and  evaluation 
framework  of  CAADP  (targets  of  the  Maputo  declaration)  and  the  support  to 
CAADP  national  processes.  Finally,  the  Commission  will  explore  areas  and 
themes for exchange of expertise between AUC and European Commission in 
selected  fields  of  agricultural  policies,  such  as  quality  policy  and  organic 
farming. 

(b)  With regard to the MDG Health targets, the Commission9 will pursue, together 
with  the  relevant  key  stakeholders,  several  lines  of  work  as  a  part  of  broader 
EU efforts : 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Human Resources for Health (HRH) : in follow up to the conclusions of 
the  Kampala  forum  on  HRH,  continue  to  work  for  progress  in  the 
implementation  of  the  EU  Programme  for  Action  (PfA)  to  tackle  the 
critical  shortage  of  human  resources  in  health,  scheduled  for  adoption 
by the Council in November 2008.  

Access  to  essential  medicines  :  Consultations  will  identify  concrete 
initiatives  to  facilitate  technology  transfer  for  the  production  of 
medicines  in  Africa,  as  well  as  triangular  cooperation.  Support  for 
research  in  the  field  of  new  medicines  adapted  to  African  pathologies 
and conditions of use is also envisaged. 

Social protection in health and financing of health systems: The EC will 
stimulate  development  of  a  common  EU  position  in  this  area  and 
identify  how  the  EU  can  support  African  countries  in  addressing  the 
issue  of  fair  financing  of  healt  systems,  elimination  of  fees  for  basic 
health  care  and  development  or  extension  of  mechanisms  for  social 
protection in health  through  EU action at  country,  regional  and global 
levels 

Sexual and reproductive health and rights : In cooperation with the AU 
and UNFPA, contribute to review progress made in the implementation 
of the Maputo Plan of Action. 

International  Health  Partnership  :  cooperate  closely  with  African 
partners  to  establish  agreed  plans,  budgets-costing  scenarios  and 

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monitoring  frameworks  in  relation  to  country  compacts  starting  with 
Ethiopia and Mozambique.  

– 

International Health Law : together with the AUC look into possibilities 
for  enhanced  cooperation  to  encourage  ratification  and  diffuse  best 
practices  on  the  International  Health  Regulations  (IHR)  such  as  the 
Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).  

In the domain of the MDG education targets, the European Commission10 will, 
together with the relevant key stakeholders, contribute to the EU-AU exchange 
of expertise and promotion of best practices.  

work to complement African countries in their efforts to attain MDG 2 through 
follow up to the MDG Agenda for Action which highlights issues of education 
financing,  teacher  shortages,  support  to  sector  planning,  girls  education  and 
support to education in countries in situations of fragility.  

support a study on teacher shortage and teacher education, as well as follow-up 
experts  workshop  /  conference  bringing  together  African  Policy  makers  with 
experts  in  the  field  from  both  Africa  and  Europe  to  work  on  a  draft  plan  of 
action for addressing this challenge.  

In  the  context  of  addressing  gender  as  cross-cutting  issue,  the  European 
Commission will, together with the relevant key stakeholders, explore with the 
AUC  possibilities  to  develop  the  capacity  of  the  "Centre  International  pour 
l’Education des Filles et des Femmes en Afrique" (CIEFFA).  

(c) 

(d) 

(e) 

(f) 

In  the  context  of  the  Energy  partnership,  several  high-profile  initiatives  of  the 
European  Commission11  have  been  instrumental  to  kick-start  the  implementation. 
These  include  the  joint  energy  mission  of  Commissioners  Piebalgs  and  Michel  to 
Africa  (visits  to  Ethiopia,  Nigeria  and  Burkina  Faso),  the  first  EC-AUC  high  level 
dialogue on energy in Addis Ababa on 8 September (including the signing of the Joint 
Statement on the main priorities and governance setup for the implementation of the 
Partnership), and the endorsement of the Joint Statement by the European and the AU 
Commissions  at  their  College-to-College  meeting  on  01.10.2008.  The  European 
Commission will continue to play an active role in the forthcoming first Joint Experts 
Working  Group  meeting  (15-16.10.2008  in  Addis  Ababa),  in  the  first  High-Level 
Africa-EU  Meeting  on  Energy  in  2009,  and  in  the  Energy  Partnership  Forum  which 
will  take  place  back-to-back  with  the  High-Level  Meeting  and  will  include  the 
participation  of  civil  society  and  of  the  private  sector.  On  the  operational  side,  the 
replenishment  of  the  Energy  Facility  (200  MEuro,  aiming  at  increasing  access  to 
energy  services  using  renewable  energy  sources)  and  contribution  to  the  EU-Africa 
Infrastructure Partnership and its Trust Fund can be considered to cover, inter alia, the 
Energy  sector.  The  European  Commission  will  cooperate  with  the  AUC  on  the 
elaboration of an Electricity Master-Plan for Africa and on the definition of a Capacity 
Building  Programme  to  support  the  African  Power  Pools  and  AFUR  (10  MEuro, 
covered  by  the  first  Energy  Facility).  The  European  Commission  will  assist  in  the 

(8) 

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Notably DG TREN 

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(9) 

promotion of energy interconnections in Africa and between Africa and Europe, with 
recourse to funding through inter-alia the Africa-EU Infrastructure Partnership and its 
Trust  Fund,  National  and  Regional  Indicative  Programmes  under  the  EDF,  ENPI 
funds,  as  well  as  through  the  preparation  of  a  Programme  of  Infrastructure 
Development in Africa (PIDA) including energy. The promotion of renewable energy 
and  energy  efficiency  will  be  funded  through  the  Energy  Facility  and  the  thematic 
programme on Environment, Sustainable Management of Natural Resources including 
Energy  (ENRTP).  ENRTP  also  supports  the  establishment  of  the  policy  dialogue 
under  the  Africa-EU  Energy  Partnership, work to establish enabling legal, fiscal and 
regulatory environments to promote investment in the energy sector as well as on rural 
electrification in Africa, and contributes to Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
Energy  Fund  GEEREF  as  well  as  to  the  World  Bank's  Gas  Flaring  Reduction 
Partnership and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).  

In  the  Partnership  on  Climate  Change,  the  Commission12  will  contribute  to  the 
drafting of an ambitious Joint AU-EU Declaration on Climate Change to be adopted at 
the  next  AU-EU  Ministerial  Troika  (20-21.11.2008).  This  process  will  take  place 
within the agreed AU-EU enhanced cooperation framework and will be linked to the 
negotiations for a global and comprehensive post 2012 agreement, to be discussed at 
the  Poznan  conference  in  December  2008  and  concluded  at  the  UN  climate  Change 
Conference  in  Copenhagen  in  2009.  On  the  operational  side,  GCCA  Pilot  country 
support  actions  will  start  soon  in  Tanzania,  to  be  followed  soon  in  several  other 
African  countries.  In  this  context,  the  ongoing  dialogue  with  Madagascar,  Mali, 
Mauritius,  Mozambique,  Senegal  and  Seychelles  will  be  enhanced  for  finalising 
countries' selection and identification of activities that will benefit from forthcoming 
support  under  the  GCCA.  Furthermore,  the  European  Commission  in  close 
cooperation  with  EU  Member  States  and  other  involved  stakeholders  will  be 
considering  possible  forms  of  support  to  the  Africa  Climate  Information  for 
Development  (ClimDev)  Programme  on  the  basis  of  the  revised  framework 
Programme Document and to other African relevant initiatives addressing the capacity 
building dimension of climate change. Other environmental priority activities include 
(a) a scoping study for the Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative, with a 
view  to  identifying  the  most  promising  avenues  for  implementation  and  appropriate 
institutional and funding mechanisms (first quarter 2009); (b) initiatives to strengthen 
the  capacity  of  the  AUC  environmental  section  (human  resources  development  and 
training,  supported  by  55  MEuro  capacity  building  programme);  (c)  in  collaboration 
with UN Environment Programme, the installation in early 2009 of the "MEA African 
Regional  Hub"  within  the  AUC;  this  project  aims  at  promoting  environmental 
sustainability in the ACP countries within the context of the Millennium Development 
Goals (MDGs), and will enhance African capacities to take part in and to comply with 
Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs); (d) an enhanced dialogue on disaster 
risk  reduction  as  an  essential  element  of  climate  change  adaptation,  building  on  the 
2004  Africa  Regional  Strategy  for  Disaster  Risk  Reduction  and  the  forthcoming  EU 
Strategy  for  supporting  disaster  risk  reduction  in  developing  countries,  and  (e) 
continued dialogue with African countries on sustainable forest management through 
processes such as Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT). 

12 

Notably DG ENV 

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(10)  The  Commission  will  also  provide  continued  support  to  the  implementation  of  the 

three priority action of the Partnership on Migration, Mobility and Employment.  

(a) 

(b) 

In the area of migration and mobility, the Commission13 will contribute to the 
creation  of  a  network  of  migration  observatories  to  collect,  analyse  and 
disseminate date on migration flows. With a view to facilitate safer, faster and 
cheaper  remittances,  the  European  Commission  is  ready  cooperate  with 
Member States to support the establishment of an African Remittances Institute 
under the leadership of the African Union and in cooperation with the World 
Bank. In order to further improve joint action on fighting illegal immigration, 
human smuggling and human trafficking, the Commission will, in the context 
of  wider  EU  efforts,  promote  regional  collaboration  and  dialogue  on  the 
management of migration flows along the Western African migration route. In 
this context, the Paris Conference on Migration in November 2008 is seen as a 
major landmark. Assistance will be provided to African governments to set up 
Migration  Information  and  Management  Centres,  such  as  the  Moroccan 
National  Agency  for  Employment  and  Skills  (ANAPEC)  and  the  recently 
inaugurated  Centre  d'Information  et  de  Gestion  des  Migrations  (CIGEM)  in 
Mali.  The  Commission  also  aims  to  enhance  cooperation  with  Diaspora 
organisations; 
the  UN  Development 
Programme a conference with African Diaspora organisations in June 2008 as 
a first step towards a more structured dialogue at the European level with the 
Diaspora. 

in  cooperation  with 

it  organised 

In  the  field  of  employment,  the  Commission14  will  continue  to  promote  the 
decent  work  agenda.  The  project  "Investing  in  People"  will  support  Labour 
market information systems exchange of good practice and peer review. In the 
framework of the continued dialogue on social protection, the Commission will 
participate  in  the  AU  Conference  of  Social  Development  Ministers  (27-
31.10.2008  in  Namibia).  With  a  view  to  capacity  building  and  awareness 
raising,  the  Commission  will  promote  the  participation  of  the  AUC  in  the 
regional  seminar  on  Decent  Work  which will  take  place  in  June  2009.  In  the 
area of higher education, the Commission15 will continue to support the design 
of  a  management  framework  for  the  Nyerere  programme.  A  study  will  be 
prepared  and  an  expertise  transfer  workshop  will  be  organised.  The  Erasmus 
Mundus  higher  education  mobility  programme  will  be  further  promoted  to 
increase  participation  of  qualified  African  students  in  the  programme  and 
strengthen  links  between  European  and  African  higher  education  institutions. 
The conference to be organised in December 2008 on EU-Africa co-operation 
on mobility in higher education will help identify strengths and weaknesses of 
the  cooperation  between  European  and  African  higher  education  institutions 
within  the  framework  of  the  Erasmus  Mundus  programme.  The  TEMPUS 
programme  will  continue  to  support  the modernisation of higher education in 
northern African countries. Study visits as well as possible staff exchanges and 
secondment from the AUC will allow to share experience and best practices on 

13 
14 
15 

DG DEV, JLS and RELEX 
Notably DG EMPL 
Notably DG EAC 

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European Commission higher education mobility programmes for the Nyerere 
programme.  Staff-to-staff  discussion  on 
the  concept  of  Pan  African 
Universities  will  also  be  pursued.  The  Youth  in  Action  Programme  will 
continue to support Euro-African mobility among young people and capacity-
building of youth workers and structures. 

(c) 

Finally, the European Commission will promote the exchange of expertise and 
best  practices  between  EU  and  AU  in  the  framework  of  the  AU  Education 
Observatory and EU statistics and monitoring tools. 

(11) 

In  the  field  of  the  Action  Plan's  eighth  partnership  on  science,  information  society 
and  space,  the  Commission  will  again  play  a  proactive  role  in  all  three  priority 
actions.  

(a) 

(b) 

In  the  domain  of  Science  and  Technology  (S&T),  the  Commission16  after 
thorough  consultation  with  the  AUC  and  taking  into  account  high  level 
international  expertise,  will  support  the  flagship  project  of  African  research 
grants  with  the  establishment  of  a  framework  programme  to  promote 
sustainable  S&T  research  for  Africa's  technical,  economic  and  social 
development,  and  will  assist  the  AUC's  HRST  Department  to  coordinate  the 
implementation  of  this  programme.  The  Commission17  will  also  support  a 
second  flagship  project  on  Water  and  Food  Security  in  Africa  which  aims  to 
strengthen  Africa's  capacity  in  science  and  technology  in  order  to  cope  with 
food  security  problems  while  promoting  sustainable  management  of  land  and 
water resources. In this context, research and demonstration activities in one or 
more African  river  basins will consolidate  the relevant knowledge and assure 
its concrete impact.  

In  the  domain  of  information  society,  the  Commission18  will  promote  ICT 
capacity-building through support to the African Regional Action Plan for the 
Knowledge Economy (ARAPKE). The AXIS flagship project will support the 
deployment of an African regional internet infrastructure through national and 
sub-regional  internet  exchange  points.  The  Africa-Connect  flagship  Project 
will support the development of regional research and education networks and 
their interconnection with the GEANT2, the advanced pan-European backbone 
network  that  interconnects  all  National  Research  and  Education  Networks 
(NRENs)  across  Europe.  The  bilateral  EC-AUC  dialogue  on  the  Information 
Society  will  be  reinforced  through  annual  meetings  to  review  cooperation 
activities and to promote synergies between the relevant thematic Partnerships. 
This dialogue will also address related policy and regulatory developments at 
regional  and  international  levels,  and  promote  the  exchange  of  best  practices 
related to ICT for development. 

(c) 

In  the  domain  of  space,  the  Commission19  will  pursue  the  implementation  of 
the  Lisbon  Process  on  “Global  Monitoring  for  Environment  and  Security 

16 
17 
18 
19 

Notably DG DEV 
Notably DG RDT 
Notably DG INFSO 
Notably DG ENTR and JRC, in cooperation with ESA 

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GMES  (Kopernikus)  and  Africa,  and  will  in  particular  cooperate  on  the 
establishment  of  a  joint  Action  Plan  to  be  submitted  to  the  next  Africa-EU 
Summit  in  2010.  Additional  efforts  will  also  be  made  to  strengthen  AUC 
capacities  in  the  field  of  geospatial  sciences  and  to  implement  the  EC-ESA-
WHO telemedicine project. 

(12)  The  Commission  will  also  continue  to  address  cross-cutting  issues  of  the  Joint 

Strategy and the Action Plan, such as gender and communication. 

(a) 

(b) 

In the field of gender, the Commission will explore concrete proposals in each 
thematic  partnership.  More  specifically,  in  the  context  of  the  African  Peace 
Facility, opportunities will be sought to link the work of both Commissions on 
Resolution  1325,  to  support  the  French  Presidency  review  on  Women  in 
Conflict  situations,  and  to  cooperate  with  the  AUC  on  the  implementation  of 
the AU solemn declaration on Gender Equality in Africa. The Commission will 
also support effective networking between African and European civil society 
organisations working on gender issues. 

In  the  area  of  communication,  the  Commission  will  (a)  contribute  to  further 
building up the joint AU-EU web site, launched on 1 October, by updating it 
and  feeding  it  regularly  with  content,  observing  a  fair  AU-EU  balance,  and 
involving  on  an  interactive  basis  all  stakeholders  concerned  by  the  AU-EU 
Strategic  Partnership;  (b)  follow-up  on  the  three  priority  actions  agreed  upon 
during  the  Media  and  Development  Forum  in  Ouagadougou  (11-13.09.2008), 
in  particular  in  the  framework  of  the  next  European  Development  Days 
(Strasbourg,  15-17.11.2008).  EU-Africa  issues  do  not  yet  receive  enough 
coverage by the media, and the European press in particular. The Commission's 
information  briefings  and  seminars  for  journalists  are  an  essential  part  of  the 
EU's  press  policy,  enabling  journalists  to  deepen  their  knowledge  about 
European  affairs.  EU-Africa  issues  could  in  that  framework  be  given  special 
consideration. Similarly, greater coverage of such issues could be produced by 
the  EURANET  network,  a  consortium  of  23  international  radio  stations 
supported  by  the  European  Commission,  representing  13  countries  which 
broadcast worldwide daily programmes devoted to EU policies and activities.  

(13)  Last, but not least, the Commission20 will intensify its bilateral activities with the AUC 
in the field of institutional capacity building and administrative cooperation. 

(a) 

training  programmes  on  general 

In the area of staff exchanges and training, the Commission will include in the 
funding  support  specific 
financial 
management, accounting and budgeting. Tailor-made training and exchange of 
experience will be made available for senior AUC management in the areas of 
financial  management,  administration,  auditing,  and  conference  service,  and 
information  and  training  seminars  on  the  organisation  and  functioning  of  the 
EU and AU institutions will be organized.  

(b) 

In  the  area  of  contract  and  financing,  the  European  Commission  will  support 
the provision of backstopping measure (recruitment of local accountants by the 

20 

DG ADMIN, BUDG, SCIC, DG COMM, DGT and internal services 

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(c) 

(d) 

AUC)  for  the  finalisation  of  2008  financial  reporting  (i.e.  pre-IMIS)  and 
organize  short  term  missions  for  senior  management  on  multi-annual  budget 
preparation  and  elaboration  as  well  as  budget  structure,  as  well  as 
benchmarking  missions  on  financial  rules  and  regulations.  The  European 
Commission will also support training on the SAP/IMIS system, and organise a 
joint  session  with  AUC  involving  key  departments  (internal  audit,  financing, 
strategic  planning,  audit  and 
legal  council,  peace  and  security  and 
administration,  representative  from  the  bureau  of  the  chairperson  and  the 
deputy chairperson) on each agreement so as to ensure that the AUC carries out 
the programmes as per agreement requirement. 

In the area of audit, too, the Commission will organize short-term mission for 
senior management on internal audit, audit monitoring and management tools, 
policy  and  method  in  the  area  of  ethics,  and  anti-fraud  and  anti-corruption 
policy. The European Commission will invite AUC counterparts to participate 
in  conferences  on  fraud  and  anti-corruption,  and  will  share  experience  and 
provide training to internal audit department on risk management.  

In the field of multilingualism, a series of concrete actions have been or will be 
proposed  by  the  competent  European  Commission  services  (DG  SCIC  and 
DGT)  to  the  AUC-CSD,  including  exchanges  of  experience,  know-how  and 
best  practice  in  areas  such  as  IT  working  environment,  IT  applications  and 
databases, assistance and software for the creation of a terminology database, 
planning  and  programming  operations  for  meetings,  documentalist  working 
methods,  planning  /  translation  and  document  management-  and  workflow 
tools,  as  well  as  the  overall  improvement  of  the  working  environment.  In 
addition, DGT and DG SCIC have already sent, and will continue to provide, 
to  the  CSD  the  essential  documentation  (internal  procedures,  technical 
specifications,  manuals  and  forms,  recommendations,  links  to  international 
databases, etc.) that are relevant for the daily work and organization methods.  

(e) 

Last,  but  not  least,  an  Action  plan  will  be  developed  to  implement  the 
Addendum  to  the  Memorandum  of  Understanding  between  the  European 
Commission and the AUC to promote twining and exchange. 

III. CONCLUSION AND WAY AHEAD 

(14)  Over  the  coming  months,  the  Commission  will  identify  in  greater  detail  the  inputs 
from  services  which  hold  primary  responsibility  for  the  implementation  of  the 
thematic  partnerships,  as  well  as  the  financial  instruments  and  resources  that  will  be 
used.  The  DGs  involved  include,  inter  alia,  AIDCO,  AGRI,  COMM,  DEV,  EAC, 
EMPL,  ENV,  INFSO,  JLS,  REGIO,  RELEX,  RTD,  SANCO,  TAXUD,  TRADE, 
TREN, as well as the JRC (Joint Research Centre) and the internal Commission DGs 
inter-service 
and  services  under 
consultations will review the present paper as a 'living document'. 

the  coordination  of  DG  ADMIN.  Regular 

(15)  Such  an  updated  tableau  de  bord  will  allow  Commissioners  and  the  Senior 
Management  to  provide  the  impetus  for  wider  EU  and  euro-African  efforts,  and  to 
exercise  the  necessary  guidance  and  managerial  oversight  over  the  Commission-

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internal implementation process. This should in particular improve the monitoring of 
progress,  the  addressing  of  possible  shortfalls,  and  the  allocation  of  the  necessary 
financial  and  human  resources  to  underpin  the  implementation  architecture  and  -
process.  

(16)  A  regularly  updated  review  will  also  facilitate  the  compilation  of  consolidated  EU 
inputs, bringing together Member States' and Commission initiatives, as contribution 
to future joint (EU African) progress reports.  

(17)  A review of the present working document will therefore be established in time before 
the  first  Ministerial  EU-Africa  Troika  in  2009.  Based  on  feedback  from  concerned 
European and African stakeholders, this revision should also address the financing of 
the  working  arrangements  and  institutional  architecture  agreed  in  Lisbon,  including 
the possible use by the AU of the 55MEuro capacity building programme – managed 
by the AUC - to further support the participation of the African side. 

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GLOSSARY 

Directorates General / Services 

ADMIN 

Directorate General for Personnel and Administration 

AGRI 

AIDCO 

COMM 

DEV 

DGT 

EAC 

Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development 

EuropeAid Co-Operation Office 

Directorate General for Communication 

Directorate General for Development and Relations with ACP Countries 

Directorate General for Translation 

Directorate General for Education and Culture 

ECFIN 

Directorate General for Economic and Financial Affairs 

EMPL 

ENTR 

ENV 

ESTAT 

INFSO 

IAS 

JLS 

JRC 

OLAF 

REGIO 

RELEX 

RTD 

Directorate General for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities 

Directorate General for Enterprise and Industry 

Directorate General for Environment 

Eurostat 

Directorate General for Information Society and Media 

Internal Audit Service 

Directorate General for Justice, Freedom and Security 

Joint Research Centre 

European Anti-Fraud Office 

Directorate General for Regional Policy 

Directorate General for External Relations 

Directorate General for Research 

SANCO 

Directorate General for Health and Consumers 

SCIC 

SG 

Directorate General for Translation 

Secretariat General 

TAXUD 

Directorate General for Taxation and Customs Union 

TRADE 

Directorate General for Trade 

TREN 

Directorate General for Energy and Transport 

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