Brussels, 18/03/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 17 March, the Council adopted an EU strategy for the Gulf of Guinea in order to support the efforts made by the region and its neighbouring states to meet the many challenges related to growing maritime insecurity and organised crime facing the countries of central and western Africa. This strategy covers the 6,000 kilometres of coastline running from Senegal to Angola, passing the islands of Cape Verde and Sao Tomé and Principe.
The strategy, which was specifically adopted ahead of the EU-Africa summit to be held in Brussels on 2 and 3 April on the theme “Investing in people, prosperity and peace”, and which will devote a lot of time to the reinforced support of the EU to Africa's capacity to manage security on the continent, stresses the importance the EU attaches to close and global cooperation with its African partners, the Council states in its conclusions.
“It is now vital that we support the efforts made by our partners in central and western Africa to tackle the complex challenges posed by maritime insecurity and organised crime, which jeopardise stability throughout the sub-region and also constitute a growing threat to the European Union”, said Catherine Ashton, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
In Yaoundé in June 2013, the heads of state of the region expressed their determination to tackle these large-scale challenges by means of a common regional approach. In order to support the partner countries and the African regional coordination platforms being created, the EU and its member states will focus their action around four objectives: forging a consensus on the scale of the threat to the Gulf of Guinea and the need to fight it; helping the governments of the region to set in place institutions and capacity to guarantee security and the rule of law; contributing to the development of prosperous economies in the coastal states; reinforcing the cooperation structures between the countries of the region, so that effective cross-border initiatives can be undertaken at sea and on land.
The strategy recognises the need to protect both populations living in the Gulf of Guinea region and European citizens from threats emanating from the region, particularly piracy, terrorism and organised crime, including the illegal movements of migrants, trafficking in human beings and trafficking in drugs and weapons.
The European Union recognises the importance of tackling the underlying causes and factors in these scourges, including poverty and efficient governance. The Council invites the European External Action Service and the European Commission to propose the initiatives required to translate this strategy into action, and to report back every year on progress made. (AN)