Exactly a week after the African Union/European Union summit of Abidjan, the final political statement ‘Investing in youth for a sustainable future’ adopted by European and African leaders (see EUROPE 11916) has finally been published, on Thursday 7 December, in time for the Council of European Foreign Ministers of Monday 11 December, which will have Africa on its agenda, in particular support for the G5 Sahel joint force.
This unusual delay in the publication is related to the fact that the African Union wished to focus on aspects related to the voluntary return migrants, whilst the Europeans favoured a returns policy in the part dedicated to migration and mobility, a European source told EUROPE.
With the text still on the table of the Secretary General of the African Union Commission on Wednesday 6 December, the ambassadors of the 28 the EU (at Coreper) insisted that the language adopted in Abidjan was not to be changed.
The final statement stresses the “strong political commitment” of the heads of state or government of the member countries of the African Union and of the EU “to address the root causes of irregular migration and forced displacement”. Both sides also stress the “importance of effectively managing irregular migration in a spirit of genuine partnership and shared responsibility, in full respect of national law, international law and human rights obligations to maximise the development of potential for both Africa and Europe”.
The other matter under debate was able to be resolved by adding a reference in the text to the statement on sexual and reproductive health and rights – which was particularly important to Sweden and Slovenia, the same source told us.
G5 Sahel: following the meeting between the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, and the foreign ministers of the G5 Sahel (Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad) on 29 November, on the sidelines of the AU/EU summit in Abidjan, the European ministers and their G5 Sahel opposite numbers will hold an exchange of views on EU-G5 Sahel cooperation over lunch.
“This will give us an opportunity for a first stock-take on support for the G5 Sahel joint force”, a senior EU official said on Thursday. This exchange will feed into preparations for the international conference on the Sahel now to be held in Paris in January, having been initially scheduled for 14 December in Brussels. The European Commissioner for Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, will represent the Commission at this meeting, as the EU’s integrated strategy for the Sahel covers development, humanitarian aid and the stabilisation and security of the region (see EUROPE 11812).
A platform will be set up in Brussels to ensure a proper match between offers and needs of the G5 Sahel joint force (equipment, protection for soldiers, transport, communication, military equipment) to respect the priorities of the very poor countries that are setting 5,000 troops in place. The budget for this force stands at €420 million in operational and launch costs. The EU’s contribution is €50 million (see EUROPE 11802).
Libya. The establishment of the AU/EU/UN task force to assist and evacuate migrants trapped in Libya may be discussed at the beginning of the session among urgent matters (see EUROPE 11915).
DRC: with no debate, the ministers will adopt conclusions on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo following the announcement on 5 November of an election timetable (see EUROPE 11902). The Council is expected to stress the vital importance of making sure that the presidential elections, now set for 23 December 2018, are respected for the sake of the legitimacy of the institutions tasked with managing the transition.
The foreign affairs and development ministers will then hold a joint session at which they will examine the proposals made by young Europeans and Africans at the AU/EU summit of Abidjan.
The development ministers will then meet alone to debate and adopt conclusions on trade and development on the basis of the revised strategy on aid to trade, which was presented by the Commission on 14 November (see EUROPE 11904). (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)