Brussels, 03/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - Nobody can say that China and the other emerging economies flirting with Africa are leading Europe a merry dance. In the opinion of everyone who attended the fourth EU-Africa Summit that ended in Brussels on Thursday 3 April, the talks were promising for future economic development, security and human development in both continents.
The EU and African heads of state have advanced to a higher stage in their equal partnership and the strategy they have been engaged in since 2007, with common determination to invest in human resources, prosperity and peace. By prosperity, they mean inclusive, sustainable growth and employment, particularly for young people.
The joint statement issued after the summit sets out the commitment by the European Union, which now has 28 member states and is emerging from crisis, and the booming African continent where growth will average 6% in 2014, but which is still facing devastating conflicts in countries, such as the Central African Republic, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, to make the most of their joint potential and interdependence, to tackle common challenges and provide tangible benefits to their citizens.
The statement reaffirms the attachment to the goals of this common strategy by the EU and African heads of state, the president of the European Council, the president of the European Commission, the president of the African Union and the president of the African Union Commission, and their shared desire to tackle common challenges together.
A three-year roadmap.
The statement is accompanied by a roadmap for the implementation of five priority targets for the common strategy in 2014-2017: 1) peace and security; 2) democracy, good governance and human rights; 3) human development; 4) sustainable and inclusive development and growth and continent-wide integration; 5) global and emerging issues like tackling climate change (see related article). As a sign of the importance it attaches to the subject, the EU-Africa Summit issued a statement on migration and mobility, including a five-point action plan stressing the positive aspects of migration and the need to combat illegal immigration (see related article).
Peace Fund for Africa to get €750 million.
The Peace Fund for Africa will see its budget doubled over the next three years (€750 million for 2014-2016). This is a strong political signal by the EU of support for peace and security in Africa, which was the highlight of the summit in Brussels. Between 2004 and 2013, €1.2 billion was mobilised by the EU through this fund (financed by the European Development Fund).
The president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, said that security in Africa is crucial for ensuring security in the rest of the world, both in terms of maritime security and in terms of fighting extremism, terrorism and organised crime. He said the EU would continue to support African efforts in close partnership with the United Nations, as demonstrated by a meeting the previous day on the subject of the Central African Republic. He said the EU was renewing the Peace Fund for Africa, giving it more than €750 million over the next three years. Van Rompuy stressed the importance of promoting investment between the two continents by making financing accessible for small business, tackling corruption and ensuring the rule of law. He said the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA), including one with West Africa, were “building blocks towards continental integration through a free trade area.” The EU-Africa Summit provided an opportunity for ECOWAS heads of state to brief their European partners about the two month delay in their signing of an EPA with the EU.
Taking advantage of competitive advantages.
A lot remains to be done to take advantage of opportunities and obtain rapid benefits for our populations as we have common challenged to overcome to build a sustainable common future. Our work must focus on people, said Nkozana Dalmini-Zuma, president of the African Union Commission. She stressed the importance for both Europe and Africa of taking advantage of their comparative advantages for mutual growth. She explained that Africa has 60% of its arable land still available and Europe has vast experience in farming and processing farm products. The two countries' age pyramids are in reverse. Africa has a huge number of young people - in 2050, the African continent will have the biggest young working population on the planet. She added that investing in African youth to turn them into professionals is the best buffer against tragedies like the one at Lampedusa and recruitment by organised crime.
President of Mauritania and acting president of the African Union Mohamed Oul Adbel Aziz said the boosted EU-Africa partnership should enable the African continent to catch up. The annual economic growth rate in Africa may be 5% to 6%, he said, but it needs support to create jobs for young people and for women. Aid and new technology is needed in Africa to accompany the demand for work, and for growth and deal with the population explosion and challenges like climate change.
He recognised that stability and security were Africa's main challenges. He said Africa had always had a deficit in logistics and operations and without security and stability, development cannot take place.
President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso welcomed the agreement between the EU and Africa on a shared holistic vision of trade, investment, economic development, peace and security. He stressed the extraordinary opportunities offered by a booming Africa and called for the potential to be built upon by applying good governance to deal with the challenges of sustainable, inclusive growth, to tackle extremist movements and to build solid infrastructure.
Barroso pointed out that with their €20 billion of aid each year for Africa, the EU and its member states were the biggest supplier of public development aid for Arica and this level would be maintained in 2014-2020. Now that the EU and Africa have decided to invest in human capital, Barroso said that the European Commission would mobilise €350 million for student and researcher exchanges and study grants under the Erasmus+ Programme.
The next EU-Africa Summit will take place in Africa in 2017, and 2016 will be African Human Rights Year. (AN)