Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament and to the Council - Partnership between the European Union and Africa - Connecting Africa and Europe : working towards strengthening transport cooperation
Date: 2009-06-24
Institutions: European Commission
Subjects: Africa, EU action, EU programme, European Union, airport, international cooperation, third country, transport infrastructure, transport policy

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COMMISSION OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES 

Brussels, 24.6.2009 
COM(2009) 301 final 

COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND TO THE COUNCIL 

Partnership between the European Union and Africa 
Connecting Africa and Europe: working towards strengthening transport cooperation  

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COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN 
PARLIAMENT AND TO THE COUNCIL 

Partnership between the European Union and Africa 
Connecting Africa and Europe: working towards strengthening transport cooperation  

1. 

INTRODUCTION 

As the main vehicles for socio-economic integration, transport infrastructures and services are 
essential to ensuring trade and the movement of goods and people. Transport is the main way 
of providing physical access to employment, health care and education and therefore provides 
the  cornerstone  for  development  and  is  essential  to  the  well-being  of  rural  and  urban 
populations. 

The level of road density in Africa continues to be low (6.84 km per 100 km2, as opposed to 
12 km in Latin America and 18 km in Asia), with a poorly maintained network. The level of 
interconnection  within  the  rail  network  in  Africa  is  very  low,  especially  in  the  western  and 
central parts of the continent and over 15 or so African countries do not have railways1. Only 
three  airports  in  Africa  can  be  classed  as  one  of  the  world’s  first  150  airports  in  terms  of 
passengers. Maritime transport accounts for between 92 % and 97 % of international trade in 
Africa,  supported  by  nearly  80  major  ports,  which  nevertheless  suffer  from  equipment  and 
safety problems. The African fleet is very old; nearly 80 % of ships are over 15 years old, as 
opposed to the world average of 15 %.  

Transport costs in Africa are some of the highest in the world, representing on average 15 % 
of export earnings, as opposed to 7 % in developing countries on other continents and 4 % in 
industrialised  nations.  The  situation  is  even  worse  in  landlocked  African  countries  such  as 
Malawi  and  Chad,  where  transport  costs  can  be  as  much  as  50 %.  Africa's  ‘share’  in  world 
trade has even fallen from 6 % to 2 % since the 1960s, while the costs of maritime transport 
have continued to rise. 

Weak  infrastructures,  excessive  administrative  procedures  and  periods  of  time  spent  at 
borders,  the  absence  of  governance  (a  lack  of  appropriate  maintenance,  the  movement  of 
overloaded trucks, etc.) or even ineffective safety regulations are some of the main reasons for 
this  state  of  affairs.  The  negotiation  and  conclusion  of  Economic  Partnership  Agreements 
(EPAs) with ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries, to support the development of 
trade, systematically highlight the need for infrastructures to bring supply and demand closer 
together more effectively.  

In  the  light  of  this,  Europe  is  not  failing  to  respond.  The  EU-Africa  partnership  for 
infrastructures adopted in 20062 is the reference framework for the European Union and aims 
in particular to develop interconnections between networks in Africa.  

1 

2 

Burundi, Cape Verde, Comoros, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Mauritius, Niger, 
Central  African  Republic,  Rwanda,  São  Tomé  and  Príncipe,  Seychelles,  Sierra  Leone,  Somalia  and 
Chad. 
Interconnecting Africa: the EU-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure (COM(2006)376, 13.7.2006). 

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As  the  largest  worldwide  donor,  Europe  therefore  contributes  nearly  30 %  of  the  funding 
allocated to transport infrastructure through European Development Fund national indicative 
programmes.  

European financing to support transport 

9th EDF (2002-2006) 

Amount allocated 
(millions of €)  

Comments 

National programmes 

2 700  

Regional programmes 

Intra ACP 

210 

108 

Allocated to transport projects in Africa (mainly 
relating to road transport) 

Global  allocation.  The  share  allocated 
transport infrastructure is yet to be confirmed.  

to 

Global allocation of Infrastructure Trust Fund to 
support  infrastructure  partnership.  The  share  to 
be  allocated  to  transport  has  not  yet  been 
determined and will depend on demand. 

10th EDF (2007-2013) 

Amount allocated 
(millions of €)  

Comments 

National programmes 

2 800  

Allocated to transport projects in Africa (mainly 
relating to road transport) 

Regional programmes 

1 523  

Amounts allocated to four African regions. 

Intra ACP 

300 

Global allocation of Infrastructure Trust Fund to 
support  infrastructure  partnership.  The  share  to 
be  allocated  to  transport  has  not  yet  been 
determined and will depend on demand. 

European 
Policy 

Neighbourhood 

Amount allocated 
(millions of €)  

Comments 

European 
Neighbourhood 
and  Partnership  Instrument 
(ENPI) 

49.5 

Amounts allocated over the period 2000-2009 to 
MEDA countries for regional transport projects. 

Neighbourhood 
Facility (NIF) 

Investment 

28.8 

Amounts allocated since 2008 

Facility 
Euro-Mediterranean 
Investment  and  Partnership 
(FEMIP) 

for 

1 473 

European  Investment  Bank  financing  over  the 
period 2004-2009 

However, EU-African cooperation also covers infrastructure-related legislative and regulatory 
aspects,  thus  enabling  economic  growth  and  trade  to  be  supported,  as  well  as  ensuring 
employment  and  the  fight  against  poverty,  in  line  with  the  UN’s  Millennium  Development 
Goals. 

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This  communication  also  supplements  the  recent  Commission  communications3  on  the 
outermost  regions,  which  stress  the  need  to  strengthen  the  maritime  links  between  these 
regions and neighbouring non-EU countries. 

In  the  current  context  of  global  economic  crisis,  gradual  damage  to  the  environment  and 
climate  change,  there  is  concern  that  the  poorest  and  most  vulnerable  countries  will  be 
affected more quickly and more severely. These multiple crises are affecting major national 
and  intra-regional  migratory  flows,  which  could  become  more  intensified  and  increase  the 
migratory  pressure  on  advanced  economies.  In  order  to  help  developing  countries  face  the 
crisis,  on  18 May  2009,  the  Council  adopted  a  series  of  conclusions  encouraging,  in 
particular,  support  for  regional  infrastructures  and  the  creation  of  missing  infrastructures  in 
sub-Saharan  Africa.  The  Council  also  encouraged  the  provision  of  support  to  regional 
infrastructures in the Mediterranean within the framework of the Union for the Mediterranean. 

It is therefore important to continue development efforts benefitting Africa, a continent which 
must  be  able  to  rely  on  an  effective  transport  system,  high-quality  infrastructures  and 
coordination between all modes. All those involved, in both Europe and Africa, must continue 
their  commitment  and  their  actions.  To  this  end,  the  European  Union  intends  to  continue 
cooperating and liaising with European and international financial institutions, particularly the 
World  Bank  and  the  African  Development  Bank,  in  order  to  increase  the  efficiency  and 
durability of the projects that have been carried out.  

In this context, the objective of this communication is linked to the programme implementing 
the  strategic  partnership  on  infrastructure  adopted  by  the  European  Union  and  the  African 
Union in 2007. In response to the request by the African Union, this involves: 

– 

– 

on  the  one  hand,  in  order  to  facilitate  transport  flows  between  Africa  and  Europe, 
initiating  a  process  of  reflection  on  extending  trans-European  networks  towards 
Africa; 

on the other hand, contributing to the work of the partnership on infrastructures in the 
field of transport  services,  particularly by providing our partners with access to the 
experience and best practice of the common transport policy. 

Following this communication, and based on the results of the dialogue between the European 
Union  and  the  African  Union,  a  priority  action  plan  and  details  of  the  financing  of  such 
actions will be drawn up and included in a joint EU and African Union declaration. 

2. 

CONNECTING AFRICA AND EUROPE 

By  facilitating  and  improving  transport  flows  between  the  two  continents,  in  a  way  which 
meets economic and commercial needs, transport costs can be reduced and transport services 
made more sustainable and reliable. This requires a coordinated approach as regards planning 
and  implementing  infrastructure  as  well  as  enhanced  cooperation  with  regard  to  air  and 
maritime transport, the two main modes of transport.  

3 

Strategy  for  the  Outermost  Regions:  Achievements  and  Future  Prospects  (COM(2007)507  final)  and 
The outermost regions: an asset for Europe (COM(2008)642 final) 

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2.1. 

Links to be developed: a step towards a common transport infrastructure map 

Both  Europe,  through  its  trans-European  networks,  and  Africa,  through  its  trans-African 
corridors,  have  in  recent  years  identified  and  developed  transport  networks4.  The  African 
Union  has,  in  particular,  committed  to  a  major  project  aligning  African  and  regional 
Infrastructure 
development 
Development in Africa (PIDA). 

infrastructure  plans,  by  preparing 

the  Programme 

for 

A further step would be bringing the planning activities performed on both continents closer 
to each other in order to establish a genuine Euro-African transport network. This network is 
expected  to  identify  the  points  at  which  European  and  African  networks  connect  with  each 
other,  with  particular  emphasis  on  ports  and  airports.  The  November  2005  report  by  the 
high-level  group  concerning  the  extension  of  the  trans-European  transport  network  to 
neighbouring countries5 identifies, in particular, motorways of the sea as one of the five main 
transnational axes to be developed.  

Within  the  framework  of  regional  transport  cooperation  in  the  Mediterranean,  the  regional 
programme  EuroMed  MEDAMOS  supports  the  implementation  of  the  Euro-Mediterranean 
partnership aimed at launching pilot motorways of the sea projects. A call for proposals was 
published  in  2007  and  resulted  in  four  projects  from  Morocco,  Tunisia,  Algeria  and  Israel 
being supported.  

The  importance  of  this  connection  for  the  ports,  rail  transport  and  routes  in  landlocked 
countries  highlights  the  need  to  implement  an  inter-modal  approach  for  transport 
development.  It  is  a  sector  where  the  strongest  links  and  sharing  of  experiences  between 
Europe  and  Africa  are  possible.  The  ‘Maputo’  corridor6,  for  example,  provides  a  series  of 
lessons which could be used when developing similar corridor projects in Europe. 

A similar partnership could be developed with sub-Saharan Africa, depending on the methods 
to be explored with the Commission of the African Union and the relevant economic regions. 

Of course, the process of connecting Europe and Africa must take into account negotiations 
currently  underway  within  the  framework  of  the  Union  for  the  Mediterranean  and  work 
carried out within the group of Western Mediterranean transport ministers (GTMO5+5)7.  

2.2. 

Encouraging development of the rail sector 

The  identification  of  priority  rail  links  is  essential  and  is  the  subject  of  concerted  dialogue 
industrial  partners.  The 
with  stakeholders,  particularly  port  authorities  and  private 
development of the railways in Africa is entirely sensible provided it enables the trade flows 
passing  through  ports  to  be  redirected  towards  the  interior  of  the  continent.  It  is  therefore 
essential  for  landlocked  countries,  such  as  Chad  and  the  Central  African  Republic.  The 
fluidity and efficiency of the logistics chain also depend on the effective use of railways. The 
integration  and  complementary  nature  of  transport  modes  therefore  remain  central  to  a 
transport system that is reliable and efficient in the long-term. 

4 
5 

6 
7 

See the maps included in the Annexes 
Networks  for  peace  and  development:  extension  of  the  major  trans-European  transport  axes  to  the 
neighbouring countries and regions. Final report from the High Level Group chaired by L. de Palacio. 
www.mcli.co.za 
Informal  dialogue  of  the  western  basin  of  the  Mediterranean,  involving  Algeria,  Spain,  France,  Italy, 
Libya, Malta, Morocco, Mauritania, Portugal and Tunisia.  

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2.3. 

Continuing cooperation efforts in the aviation and maritime sectors 

2.3.1.  The aviation sector 

Air transport in Africa has great potential for development, given that the continent currently 
accounts for only 4 % of world traffic. The requirements in terms of mobility towards Europe 
but also and above all within Africa, make it even more essential to substantially improve air 
transport, both in terms of the traffic and quality of services.  

The  African  Union  is  one  of  the  EU’s  most  valuable  partners.  The  AU  therefore  promotes 
structured  dialogue  between  African  organisations  and  also  with  and  between  regional 
economic  communities  (RECs).  This  dialogue  would  enable,  in  particular,  concrete  steps  to 
be taken with regard to the following subjects: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

Air safety, the number one priority, requires a joint approach in order to establish the 
main  tools  needed  to  improve  the  implementation  of  ICAO  (International  Civil 
Aviation  Organisation)  standards.  The  air  safety  situation  in  several  African 
countries,  an  issue  referred  to  in  ICAO  audit  reports,  has  led  the  Commission  to 
identify  significant  shortcomings  in  the  performance  of  regulatory  monitoring  and 
the supervision of operators by some countries. The rise in the number of accidents 
in  Africa  means  that  there  is  a  greater  need  to  strengthen  the  practical 
implementation  of,  and  compliance  with,  international  safety  standards.  The 
Commission  is  prepared  to  work  with  willing  African  countries  in  order  to  help 
strengthen national civil aviation authorities.  

Security,  a  new  priority,  affects  European  and  African  countries  jointly  in  their 
bilateral  relations  but  also  in  their  relations  with  third  countries.  Pilot  projects  and 
training seminars will help to acquire a certain degree  of expertise, possibly on  the 
basis of ad-hoc audit groups of security inspectors. 

Economic regulations need to be modernised. In order to support the process initiated 
by  the  Yamoussoukro  decision8,  it  is  essential  to  strengthen  African  and  regional 
civil aviation bodies and to provide the assistance needed in order to do this. To this 
end, a regular discussion forum on problems of common interest could be created.  

The  limits  caused  by  the  effects  of  climate  change  and  polluting  emissions  is  a 
challenge facing international aviation as a whole. In this context, cooperation could 
be envisaged to facilitate access to the clean development mechanism included in the 
Kyoto Protocol.  

These measures are designed to help increase efficiency and long-term growth within the air 
transport sector in Africa. One of the priorities is to quickly find a solution to the question of 
the Community designation, in order to stop the illegality of bilateral air agreements currently 
in  existence  between  African  countries  and  EU  Member  States.  It  will  also  be  important  to 
discuss the designation of African airlines, by means, in particular, of agreements between the 
European  Community  and  African  countries  or  Regional  Economic  Communities.  The 

8 

The Yamassoukro decision is based on the Treaty of Abuja and came into force on 12 August 2000. Its 
primary aim is to improve the operation of air services by African airlines and to set up an executive 
agency responsible for monitoring and implementing the liberalisation process. 

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European Union-Africa conference on air transport in Windhoek on 2-3 April 2009 was the 
first step towards this cooperation in order to draw up an action plan.  

2.3.2.  The maritime sector 

Over 10 million citizens travel by sea from or to Europe and Africa.  

On  the  basis  of  the  Euro-Mediterranean  experience,  the  EU  and  the  African  Union  should 
commence active cooperation to enable port efficiency to be improved in three ways: 

– 

– 

– 

The  objective  with  regard  to  regulatory  aspects  must  be  to  simplify,  as  far  as 
possible,  customs  and  documentary  procedures  so  as  to  reduce  the  time  freight  is 
held in terminals, without compromising EU safety and security rules. 

As regards infrastructure, a number of major African ports require greater dredging 
support, firstly to ensure sufficient depth and secondly to benefit from the ability to 
invest  enjoyed  by  the  European  port  maintenance  industry.  Furthermore,  the 
insufficient  number  of  port  moorings  is  the  reason  for  the  lengthy  amount  of  time 
spent  waiting  to  access  boats  in  ports  and  therefore  represents  a  bottleneck  in  the 
traffic  between  Europe  and  Africa.  The  financing  of  these  port  infrastructure 
developments  should  be  promoted  when  implementing  the  indicative  national  and 
regional programmes. Improvements to the road connections between African ports 
also  represent an  important way  of ensuring the effectiveness of the impact of port 
infrastructures on national and regional economies. 

Port  security  should  be  ensured  by  the  implementation  of  international  standards 
(ISPS  –  the  International  Ship  and  Port  Facilities  Security  code);  in  particular,  the 
checks  and  infrastructure  needed  to  prevent  unauthorised  access  to  boats  by 
passengers, goods and other objects should be set up, in order to limit the likelihood 
of maritime transport being used for illegal migration, illegal trafficking or terrorist 
attacks. 

With  regard  to  another  aspect,  namely  environmental  factors,  compliance  with  international 
conventions, aimed in particular at setting up efficient port installations to process waste from 
vessels,  should  be  made  easier.  The  development  of  maritime  ports  should  also,  as  far  as 
possible,  be  included  in  a  more  global  framework  of  integrated  maritime  policies,  which 
should  include  maritime  spatial  planning  and  integrated  coastal  area  planning  instruments. 
This is particularly true when investment is planned in ecologically sensitive areas.  

3. 

PROMOTING THE SHARING OF EXPERIENCE IN ORDER TO SUPPORT 
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MORE EFFECTIVE TRANSPORT SYSTEM 

In its report drawn up at the end of 20089, the Commission highlighted the need to strengthen 
the  political  commitment  of  the  European  Union  and  the  African  Union  by  concrete 
contributions to ensure that the measures identified in the EU-Africa strategy were taken more 
quickly. 

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

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In the field of transport, a number of exchange programmes, technical assistance measures or 
even twinning arrangements could be encouraged and established in the near future. 

The Commission could,  in particular, study the feasibility of short-term  technical  assistance 
and  the  exchange  of  information  with  sub-Saharan  African  countries.  On  a  voluntary  basis, 
within the framework of variable geometry configurations, the European Commission could 
therefore  develop  exchanges,  twinning  arrangements  and  training  activities  involving  the 
administrations of Mediterranean countries. 

3.1. 

Tools to be shared as regards infrastructure 

In addition to issues relating to financing, planning is central to developing infrastructures in 
both  Africa  and  Europe.  Also,  the  African  Union  has  expressed  the  wish  to  share  the 
methodology involved in trans-European networks.  

This  methodology,  which  applies  to  transport  and  also  energy  and  IT  networks  (given  that 
these  sectors  have  a  mutual  interest  in  sharing  their  thoughts  on  their  infrastructure  needs), 
will  be  presented  at  the  joint  EU-AU  seminar  to  take  place  within  the  framework  of 
partnership work, and during which the issue of infrastructure quality and durability will be 
discussed.  Cooperation  in  the  field  of  transport  in  the  Mediterranean10  provides  an  initial 
illustration of a concerted method aimed at connecting European and north African networks. 
It  is  based  on  a  multilateral  institutional  framework  involving  three  complementary  levels: 
thematic working groups tackling technical issues, the Euro-Mediterranean (Euromed) forum 
which prepares the decisions made by the Euromed ministerial conference, a decision-making 
authority  established  by  the  transport  ministries  of  Mediterranean  countries,  the  only 
ministries responsible for strategic decisions on regional transport cooperation. 

Also,  in  order  to  tackle  the  difficulties  identified  during  major  trans-European  network 
projects  and  given  that  lack  of  financing  was  not  always  the  only  reason  for  delays,  the 
European Union has been experimenting with the method of coordinators.  

These  coordinators  support  Member  States’  efforts  in  preparing  the  project  financially  and 
promote joint evaluation methods. The appropriateness of a coordinator is particularly evident 
where a number of factors are present: 

– 

– 

– 

– 

– 

absence of governance; 

delays observed on key cross-border sections;  

the lack of firm agreement as regards the timetable and route between the countries 
concerned; 

the lack of funding for key sections; 

the need to involve a broad range of players such as firms, operators or regions. 

As  stated  in  its  communication  on  ‘Supporting  developing  countries  in  coping  with  the 
crisis’11,  the  European  Commission  intends  to  open  dialogue  with  regional  organisations, 

10 

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17  partners:  Mauritania,  Morocco,  Algeria,  Tunisia,  Egypt,  Syria,  the  Palestinian  Authority,  Israel, 
Jordan, the Lebanon, Turkey, Albania, Libya, Montenegro, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Monaco. 
COM (2009) 160 of 8.4.2009. 

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particularly the African Union, in order to evaluate the appropriateness of appointing project 
coordinators for the missing links in the eight trans-African networks already identified12.  

3.2. 

Promoting a safe and effective transport system 

The questions of security and safety concern all modes of transport and affect both continents. 
A  number  of  European  Union  research  programmes13  are  also  already  accompanying  the 
exchange of good practice or training activities on these subjects, particularly in sub-Saharan 
Africa  and  the  Maghreb.  These  questions  therefore  have  a  legitimate  place  in  European-
African  dialogue.  In  this  context,  given  their  location  on  maritime  routes  or  straits,  the 
outermost  regions  (ORs)  could  play  a  part  in  maritime  governance  in  monitoring  coastal 
waters  (for  instance,  the  fight  against  illegal  fishing,  piracy  or  drug  trafficking)  or  in 
improving transport security (for instance, better management of the transport of oil from the 
Gulf of Aden to the Mediterranean).  

1.1.1. 

3.2.1. Maritime transport: a step towards improving safety in maritime transport 

The  European  Union  provides  technical  assistance  to  10  Mediterranean  countries14  in  the 
fields  of  maritime  safety,  maritime  security  and  the  prevention  of  pollution  in  the 
Mediterranean  sea,  via  the  regional  project  SAFEMED.  The  EU  helps  strengthen 
from  national  maritime 
competences  by  awarding  qualification  grants 
administrations.  The  SAFEMED  project  also  provides  technical  support  to  ensure  that 
national regulations comply with international conventions. Cooperation with Mediterranean 
countries  could  in  this  way  be  envisaged  as  regards  Community  maritime  transport 
management  systems.  Similar  projects  could  be  developed  with  regional  communities  on  a 
voluntary basis in order to make the maritime transport system safer and to prevent pollution 
caused by vessels. 

for  staff 

The  European  Union  is  also  in  favour  of  the  International  Maritime  Organisation  (IMO) 
project  to  set  up  regional  rescue  coordination  centres  along  the  African  coast  (Maritime 
Rescue Coordination Centres or MRCCs). 

The  European  Union  could  provide,  particularly  through  the  European  Maritime  Safety 
Agency  (EMSA),  whose  mandate  will  first  have  to  be  extended,  the  technical  assistance 
needed to help African coastal countries to improve their maritime traffic monitoring systems 
in order to ensure the regional exchange of data.  

It  is  also  important  that  countries  in  north  and  north-west  Africa  make  a  commitment  to 
combating  the  use  of  boats  and  small  vessels  that  do  not  comply  with  standards  and  are 
overloaded  for  the  transport  of  passengers,  a  practice  carried  out  by  criminal  organisations 
and which, when the passengers in question are illegal immigrants, jeopardises the lives and 
integrity of thousands of deprived people.  

Combating piracy 

12 

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14 

Dakar-Ndjamena,  Nouakchott-Lagos,  Khartoum-Djibouti,  Lagos-Mombasa,  Cairo-Gaborone, 
N'djamena-Windhoek, Beira-Lobito, Dar Es Salaam-Kigali. 
TRANSAFRICA, STADIUM 
Morocco,  Algeria,  Tunisia,  Egypt,  Israel,  Jordan,  the  Lebanon,  the  Palestinian  Authority,  Syria  and 
Turkey. 

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Although  the  number  of  recorded  acts  of  piracy  and  armed  attacks  decreased  in  the  world 
between  2003  and  2006,  an  alarming  increase  of  17 %  was  recorded  in  2007.  In  2008,  the 
situation in terms of the number and violent nature of the attacks worsened even more, with 
the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Guinea being particularly vulnerable.  

In order to reduce the scale of this phenomenon, currently undermining Africa and preventing 
the  development  of  trade  given  the  insecurity  in  ports  and  along  coastlines,  the  European 
Union  could  help 
to  reinforce  and  form  administrative  capability  responsible  for 
implementing maritime regulations. Support programmes have already been identified by the 
International Maritime Organisation.  

Maritime  surveillance  plays  a  key  role  in  preventing  illegal  activities  at  sea.  Within  the 
framework  of  its  integrated  maritime  policy,  the  European  Union  wishes  to  strengthen 
cooperation  with  its  African  partners  and  to  share  information  with  the  national  authorities 
concerned more effectively.  

3.2.2.  Air transport: a step towards the necessary strengthening of safety in this sector 

The  increase  in  air  traffic  should  be  accompanied  by  the  definition  of  a  new  African 
operational  concept.  Once  validated,  it  will  enable  the  potential  safety  contribution  of 
European infrastructures already in existence (such as satellite programmes, e.g. EGNOS) or 
in the process of being developed (SESAR, the technological branch of the Single European 
Sky) to be identified, on the basis of the conclusions and action plan of the Global Monitoring 
for Environment and Security (GMES) for Africa. The opening up to air traffic from Africa 
should also be accompanied by the reorganisation of air space and the network of air routes to 
ensure greater economic efficiency (the shortest routes), environmental efficiency and safety. 
This modernisation could be envisaged region by region, taking into account the requirements 
of  airlines  with  regard  to  intra-Africa  and  intercontinental  routes.  One  possible  approach 
would  be  to  extend  the  ‘Single  Sky’  model  to  Africa,  combined  with  access  to  the  SESAR 
infrastructure programme. 

3.2.3.  EGNOS 

Satellite  navigation  can  play  an  essential  role  in  the  sectors  discussed  above.  The 
infrastructure  enabling  precision  positioning  in  Africa  is  highly  inadequate,  despite  being 
essential  to  transport  and,  more  generally,  to  the  continent’s  economic  development.  Africa 
therefore  represents  only  3 %  of  the  world’s  airline  departures,  but  19 %  of  accidents,  due 
most often to navigation error. 

The  development  in  Africa  of  ground  infrastructures  to  complement  EGNOS,  the  European 
satellite navigation system (i.e. an EGNOS system specific to Africa) could be an inexpensive 
solution which would provide Africa with all the advantages of the system, not just as regards 
air, rail and coastal maritime transport, but also with regard to energy, agriculture and town 
and country planning. 

3.2.4.  Road transport: the challenge of road safety 

Road  continues  to  be the  dominant  mode  of  transport  in  Africa,  representing  between  80 % 
and over 90 % of the inter-urban and international carriage of goods, and very often provides 
the only access to rural areas.  

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One million people die each year in road accidents. 65 % of those killed are pedestrians and 
35 %  of  those  pedestrians  are  children.  The  cost  of  these  accidents  represents  between  1 % 
and 3 % of a country’s gross domestic product, which is particularly dramatic for developing 
countries15. At a time when the Commission is preparing its next European action programme 
(2011-2020),  it  intends  to  intensify  its  efforts  to  ensure  that  other  groups  of  countries  can 
benefit from the experience acquired in the European Union, at different levels. With this in 
mind, and within the framework of sectorial dialogue with the authorities responsible for road 
safety  within  the  relevant  national  and  regional  administrations,  the  following  guidelines 
could be developed: 

– 

– 

– 

creating suitable mechanisms to encourage the sharing of best practice; 

within the framework of implementing national and regional indicative programmes, 
encouraging the allocation of European funds meant for the road network to specific 
measures designed to improve road safety;  

promoting  the  inclusion  of  road  safety  aspects  in  social  impact  studies  for  road 
investment. 

3.2.3.  Urban transport 

Africa is the continent with the highest rate of urbanisation. According to a report by the UN-
Habitat,  urban  centres  are  growing  by  4.5  %  per  year.  Approximately  40 %  of  Africa’s 
population  live  in  towns  or  cities  and  this  figure  is  expected  to  double  by  2030.  By  2020, 
Nairobi, Johannesburg and Abidjan will have over 10 million inhabitants and 77 other African 
cities will each have 1 million inhabitants. This growing urbanisation is having an increasing 
impact, particularly in terms of air pollution and traffic congestion. 

Via the CIVITAS programme16, the European Union is supporting cities in Europe setting up 
integrated  strategies  for  urban  transport.  A  platform  allows  the  exchange  of  ideas  and  good 
practice between cities, particularly in terms of the management of traffic or the development 
of rail alternatives.  

This programme could be extended to cover African cities so that they can also benefit from 
these experiences. The following activities could therefore be envisaged:  

– 

– 

– 

Opening up the Civitas Forum to African cities 

The participation of African cities in the annual CIVITAS Forum Conference 

Twinning arrangements between cities in Africa and in Europe  

4. 

CONCLUSION 

Strategic cooperation between Europe and Africa in the field of transport has been introduced 
within the framework of the EU-Africa infrastructure partnership, under which regional and 
national  transport,  water,  energy  and  telecommunications  networks  are  interconnected 
throughout Africa. It is also supported through the neighbourhood policy in its most specific 

15 
16 

Source: World Bank, World Health Organisation (2004, 2007). 
www.civitas.eu 

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link with North Africa. This communication falls within the scope of these existing policies 
and instruments, by initiating a reflection on how to improve transcontinental connections and 
by  suggesting  possible  ways  of  cooperating  and  sharing  experiences  in  order  to  develop  a 
more reliable and safer transport system, one which is not just based on new infrastructure but 
also  on  more  efficient,  safer  and  less  expensive  transport  services.  The  measures  identified 
would  be  implemented  within  the  framework  of  cooperation  and  on  the  basis  of  existing 
instruments,  in  particular  the  Cotonou  agreement,  the  European  Development  Fund  and 
neighbourhood policy, not to mention of course existing common transport policy measures. 

At this stage, this communication is intended as a starting point for the African Union in order 
to  identify  the  concrete  measures  which  could  be  built  upon  in  the  field  of  transport,  in 
conjunction  with  all  African  and  European  partners.  The  conference  monitoring  the  TEN-T 
policy and its implementation, scheduled to take place in 2009, will be open to Mediterranean 
and African partners.  This will provide  an  opportunity to set up, within the joint EU-Africa 
partnership,  an  informal  forum  on  transport  which  will  bring  together,  in  addition  to 
institutional players already represented within the partnership, transport operators, European 
and African associations and international donors on a biannual basis. This will allow a wider 
debate on specific issues relating to this key development sector. The next stage will have to 
decide, through the signature of a joint declaration, a priority action plan and the identification 
of  financing  for  such  action.  The  forthcoming  EU-Africa  summit,  which  will  take  place  in 
2010  in  Africa,  will  provide  an  opportunity  to  examine  the  progress  made  in  implementing 
this action plan. 

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1. 

Extension  of  the  major  trans-European  transport  axes  to  the  neighbouring 
countries 

ANNEX  

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2. 

Trans-African road transport corridors 

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3. 

African railways 

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