During his State of the Union speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday 13 September, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned that if the member states do not provide financing, the emergency trust fund for Africa – which was created two years ago to address the deep-rooted causes of irregular migration – risks not having enough resources.
With two months to go until the EU-Africa summit on youth employment (Abidjan, 29-30 November), it is on behalf of a Europe of Solidarity that Juncker called on the member states to redress the balance, raising the spectre of new migration flows to Europe.
"Solidarity cannot be exclusively intra-European. We must also show solidarity with Africa. Africa is a noble and young continent, the cradle of humanity. Our €2.7 billion EU-Africa trust fund is creating employment opportunities across the continent", Juncker stated.
While the European Commission has provided the bulk of the money, the total contribution of the member states combined is only €150 million, he said.
"The fund is currently reaching its limits. We know the dangers of a lack of funding", Juncker said, stating that in 2015 "many migrants headed towards Europe when the UN's World Food Programme ran out of funds".
He therefore called on all 28 member states "to now match their actions with their words and ensure the Africa trust fund does not meet the same fate".
This trust fund aims to help the region of the Sahel and Lake Chad, the Horn of Africa and North Africa strengthen their capacity to address the deep-rooted causes of illegal migration. Announced by Juncker in his State of the Union speech in 2015, the fund was launched in time for the special EU-Africa summit in Valletta in November 2015, which focused on migration (see EUROPE 11408, 11429).
Last year, it was the announcement of the creation of the external investment fund for Africa that was a key part of Juncker's State of the Union speech. This fund will be launched at the EU-Africa summit in Abidjan. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)