The 15 and 16 December European Council in Brussels adopted the new EU Strategy for Africa unveiled by the Barroso Commission (see special issue 9092 on other Summit conclusions and EUROPE/Documents 2425/2426 on the Financial Perspectives agreed by the European Council). We are publishing in full the new Africa Strategy agreed by EU heads of state (in French and English) as part of the EUROPE/Documents series.
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THE EU AND AFRICA: TOWARDS A STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Introduction: Our Vision
Europe and Africa are bound together by history, by geography, and by a shared vision of a peaceful, democratic and prosperous future for all their peoples.
This strategy sets out the steps the European Union will take with Africa between now and 2015 to support African efforts to build such a future. It is a strategy of the whole of the EU for the whole of Africa. Its primary aims are the promotion of development, security and good governance in Africa and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
The strategy builds on important progress made by the Africans themselves. Its core principles are partnership, equality and mutual accountability. Its underlying philosophy is African ownership and responsibility.
Peace and security
Without peace there can be no lasting development. And without African leadership to end African conflicts there can be no lasting peace. So we will:
Help the African Union, sub-regional organisations and African countries to predict, prevent and mediate conflict and to keep the peace in their own continent. In particular, we will strengthen the Africa Peace Facility with [substantial], long-term, flexible, sustainable funding [of at least 100 m euro every year]; and we will help develop the AU's African Standby Force, by providing training, building on existing activities by Member States, and advisory, technical, planning and logistical support.
Provide direct support to African Union or UN efforts to promote peace and stability through CFSP and ESDP activities, including potential deployment of EU battlegroups and civilian crisis management missions and continued implementation of the ESDP Africa Action Plan.
Enhance and sustain our support for post conflict reconstruction in Africa, so that we secure lasting peace and development. We will support in particular the new UN Peacebuilding Commission; and Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration, and Security Sector Reform programmes in African states.
Redouble our efforts to stem the flow of weapons, including small arms. We will encourage others to adopt minimum common standards and associate themselves with the EU Code of Conduct on weapons transfers, discourage transfers which contribute to instability, develop ways to share and act on information on illegal trafficking and support border management controls and an international arms trade treaty.
Join with African states to counter terrorism in Africa and Europe. We will provide technical assistance, enhanced information sharing and support to the AU Anti-Terrorism Centre in Algiers and continue to support the implementation of international counter-terrorism agreements.
Development Assistance
If Africa is to meet the challenge of development, sound policies and good leadership must be backed by increased financial flows. We will:
Increase our aid, by delivering on our commitments of ODA worth 0.56% of GNI by 2010, with half of the additional 20 billion euros going to Africa, and 0.7% GNI by 2015. The European Council will monitor implementation of this commitment.
Secure more effective and predictable EU financial assistance for Africa, including by reaching early agreement on a successor to the 9th European Development Fund as soon as possible, in the context of the Financial Perspectives and ensuring adequate resources for all of Africa in future EC budgets.
Begin implementation, on a voluntary basis, of new innovative financing mechanisms, such as a contribution on airline tickets or through financing the International Finance Facility for Immunisation.
Support the cancellation of the EU share of all outstanding debts of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries, as agreed with the IMF and World Bank, delivering 60 billion euros in debt relief.
Reinforce EU humanitarian and disaster response capability by strengthening ECHO so it maintains its strong role in under-funded emergencies.
Make our aid more effective, by ensuring early implementation for Africa of our EU and international commitments, as agreed in Paris in February 2005, and by setting up common EU arrangements where feasible and appropriate.
Governance
Successful development requires effective, well-governed states, and strong and efficient institutions. We will:
Promote and protect human rights, including the rights of women, children and other vulnerable groups, end impunity and promote fundamental freedoms and respect for the rule of law in Africa, including through capacity-building for judicial systems, national Human Rights Commissions and civil society organisations. The substantial funding under EC and member states' bilateral programmes will be maintained.
Support good governance programmes at country level and help build the capacity of the African Union and Africa's regional and national institutions, building on the 35 million euros already allocated for this purpose under the Africa Peace Facility and the 50 million euros under EDF 9.
Support African efforts to monitor and improve governance, including through supporting NEPAD's African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), so that their goal of four completed reviews a year from 2006 is achieved, and the development of a Governance Initiative to support national reforms triggered by the APRM process.
Support the fight against corruption and organised crime and promote transparency to ensure Africa's wealth benefits its people. This will include helping improve public financial management systems in Africa, early ratification by all EU member states of the UN Convention on Corruption, support to the Kimberly Process and to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) so that eleven African countries begin implementation of the EITI by July 2006.
Support the growth of democracy and accountability in Africa, including through support to African parliaments and an enhanced programme of EU Electoral Observation Missions and a review of their remit in 2006.
Sustainable Economic Growth, Regional Integration and Trade
Rapid, sustained and broad-based growth is essential for ending poverty in Africa. We will:
Facilitate a better-connected Africa, to itself and the rest of the world; including by establishing an EU/Africa Infrastructure Partnership, which will be complementary to the new Infrastructure Consortium for Africa and include existing initiatives on transport and to facilitate access to water and sanitation, energy and ICT.
Promote a stable, efficient and harmonized legal business framework in Africa, for example by convening a Euro-African Business Forum in 2006.
Press for a successful outcome to the Doha Round of world trade talks that is ambitious, maximises development gains, and makes trade work for the poor; and extend duty and quota-free market access for LDCs to all industrialised country markets.
Provide increased aid for trade by Member States, building on the Community's commitment of 1 bn euros per year by 2010.
Agree Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with Africa's regional groupings by 2008 that substantially promote regional integration and improve African access to European and regional markets, reduce non-tariff barriers and promote regional integration. We will closely monitor EPAs so that they help achieve development objectives.
Help African countries comply with EU rules and standards, establish clear rules for services, simplify rules of origin and make them more development friendly.
Support Africa in countering the effects of climate change in accordance with the EU Action Plan on Climate Change and Development, protecting its environment and ensuring the sustainable management of its forests, fisheries and water, including, for example, through 500 million euros for an EU Water Facility under EDF9.
Investing in people
A successful Africa requires a well-educated, healthy population and the full empowerment of women. We will:
Support African efforts to ensure that all children have free primary education of good quality by 2015, including through the implementation of the Education for All programme with increased resources for the Fast Track Initiative, such as the 63 million euros agreed under EDF9.
Promote development of Euro-Africa networks of universities and centres of excellence, including through helping the AU establish a new exchange programme (the Nyerere Programme) for students in Africa.
Provide predictable, multi-year financing for health systems in Africa so that all Africans have access to basic healthcare, free where governments choose to provide this and in support of African governments' goal of allocating 15% of their public budgets to Health.
Enhance our support for the fight against infectious diseases including by providing further EU contributions to the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and malaria thereby maintaining the EU's share of global contributions (at least 50%). We will continue to support research and development of drugs for AIDS and other communicable diseases and help countries deliver universal access to HIV treatment and care for all who need it by 2010 with further support for the EU Programme for Action for AIDS, TB and malaria, including access to drugs.
Improve food security for the most vulnerable, by helping lift 8 million Africans out of hunger by 2009 through country-led safety-nets for chronically food insecure populations who rely on humanitarian programmes.
Maximise the developmental benefits and minimize the risks of migration, through engaging in balanced dialogue and cooperation with the AU, other African organisations and states on a broad range of migration issues. We will take this forward through a serious of concrete actions by, for instance, holding an EU-Africa ministerial conference on migration in 2006.
Recognise the importance of women in all our policies towards Africa in view of their crucial role in economic growth, development, education and the disproportionate effects on women of conflict, poverty related diseases and lack of maternal health care.
The future: an EU partnership with Africa
Europe has a strong interest in a peaceful, prosperous and democratic Africa. Our strategy is intended to help Africa achieve this. We commit to:
Deliver on this strategy. We will review progress on its implementation at the [June/December] 2006 European Council, and annually thereafter. Our Ministers will discuss and oversee the development of detailed delivery and monitoring plans for this purpose. In June 2006, the Council will monitor implementation of the aid volume targets agreed in May 2005 and annually thereafter. This monitoring will be on the basis of a report from the Commission and discussed by Development Ministers in April 2006.
Develop this strategy, in partnership with the African Union, NEPAD and other African partners, respecting the principles of African ownership and in coordination with multilateral partners.
Enhance the EU's political dialogue and broader relationship with Africa and its institutions and hold the next EU/Africa Summit in Lisbon as soon as possible.
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