Lisbon, 10/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - The word “historic” was on the lips of those at the closure of the second EU/Africa summit on 9 December in Lisbon. This summit took place seven years after the Cairo summit, and lays the foundations for a new and equal strategic partnership between Africa and the European Union based on values, principles and common interests to meet the global challenges on the international scene: peace and security, governance and human rights, migration, energy and climate change, trade, infrastructure and development.
The rising presence of China in Africa, as well as some emerging powers coveting the continent is not alien to the search for a win-win relationship that decades of European development cooperation has not managed to achieve.
Whatever happens, by adopting the very first common EU-Africa strategy and its first three year action plan (2008-10), as well as the Lisbon Declaration in a joint signing of philosophy and commitments in this “partnership of peoples based on inter-dependence, sovereignty and respect”, Heads of state and governments from the 53 African countries and 27 EU member states, have expressed a wish to turn their back on the traditional donor/recipient relationship in aid. They are now seeking to obtain, “significant results on the fundamental commitments: millennium development objectives, promotion of good governance and human rights, establishing a robust architecture for peace and security in Africa and the creation of opportunities for developing global governance in an open and multilateral framework” (EUROPE 9558). Behind the good will displayed by both sides, the sharpness of the exchanges and certain stumbling blocks that were denounced without beating around the bush, were testimony to the way ahead for the two parties to succeed in obtaining their goals. Abdoulaye Wade, the Senegalese president bore these out and attacked the bureaucracy of European aid when it was so easy to obtain the tractors from China it needed straight away; the absence of helicopters at the critical moment of the deployment of the mixed Chad/Darfur force; Colonel Kaddafi asking the EU to compensate Africa for the colonisation and plunder of its resources and accept its immigrants; African doubts about the capacity of the future Economic Partnership Agreements (EPA) to be concluded in a genuine spirit of partnership; the pursuit of African conflicts, particularly in Somalia an Darfur; the very sharp differences in the approach of Europeans and Africans, the Zimbabwe crisis at the source of a boycott of the summit by the British prime minister, Gordon Brown.
Strategic priorities identified by the two blocks are embodied in eight concrete partnership. Progress can be measured at the next summit in 2010: the partnership for peace and security (strengthening dialogue on the peace and security challenges, making the African architecture for peace and security fully operational, forecast funding for peace keeping operation led by the Africans; the partnership for democratic governance and human rights (strengthen dialogue at a global level and in international for a, promote the African review mechanism by the two sides and support the African charter on democracy, elections and governance, enhance cooperation in cultural resources); the partnership for trade and regional integration (support for the African integration agenda, enhancing African capacity in regulation, standards and quality control, implementation of EU/Africa partnership for infrastructure); partnership for meeting the millennium objectives (guarantee financial and political aid indispensable to reaching these objectives and speeding up the completion of the objectives on food safety, heal and education); energy partnership (implementation of Europe/Africa partnership to intensify cooperation in security of energy supply and access, particularly renewable energies; partnership on science, information society and space (support for developing as wide as possible information society in Africa, support African capacity and implementation of African action on science and technology, foster cooperation in applications and space technology).
At the end of the summit, José Socrates, the acting president of the European Council, was very pleased. He said that seven years after the first Cairo summit, the second summit constituted, “a success in itself, an extraordinary event”. He welcomed the dawning of a partnership between the peoples of the two continents, a new era for political dialogue and a boost to our societies through the participation of parliaments, entrepreneurs, scientists and young people. He described it as an “historic” moment for envisaging new solutions for the two continents together, “a blank page on which to write together”. The president of the European Council said that this summit “is a window of hope for putting an end to the tragedy of the refugees in Somalia and Darfur”. He was aware that immigration was “undoubtedly the point on which we felt the absence of political dialogue and cooperation over the years”. This strategy addresses the fundamental challenges of our two continents but also demands that we have frank political dialogue, free of taboos”.
John Kufuor, the president of Ghana and the African Union spoke of, “an historic event in the context of EU/Africa relations and annals of Africa, which will have an impact on globalisation”. Although the Lisbon Summit is “the confirmation of Africa's willingness to get involved in globalisation”, the achievement of the objectives in hand will depend “on our good faith” and how the promises of Mr Barroso, “who set our minds at rest by guaranteeing that negotiations on economic partnership agreements would continue at regional level, after the interim agreements”, would be implemented, he warned. He went on to add that “EU/Africa relations have reached a new level, which rejects impunity and imposition. We are now talking about mutual interests”, he said, stressing the penultimate word of that sentence.
José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, welcomed “an extremely important moment. I anticipate concrete actions from the leaders. Africa must remain a priority in the external relations of the EU”, he said, particularly stressing the alliance in the fight against climate change, with a view to the post-2012 regime.
Alpha Oumar Konare, President of the Commission of the AU, spoke of his joy at being reunited with his friends once again at the Summit between the EU and Africa, stating that “for Africa, it is not a question of mimicking the others, but of acting according to its own culture, history and ways. Today, Africa intends to draw up its own agenda, to take ownership of its own development on its own basis, rather than under the logic of catching up with the others, which will never allow us to meet the needs of our own populations (…). With the EU, which sets such a good example with its sense of what is right via peace and good governance, via a sense of solidarity, we can have a unique partnership via history and geography”. However, he pointed out, partnership with Africa is not an exclusive right of Europe. This was borne out by the list of all of the Summits which have been held between Africa and partners other than the EU, and Summits to be held in the future (India, Japan, Turkey, second Summit with the countries in South America in 2008), or being planned (second Africa/Arab States Summit, Russia, Iran, countries of ASEAN and of Oceania). The President spoke of a “duty of memory” to slavery, colonisation, apartheid, the Rwandan genocide, “not for the sake of an argument, but to open up the path to the future in full responsibility and in full awareness. We can and must turn the pages, but never rip them up”, he said. “Africa needs neither charity nor paternalism. Africa no longer has the right to expect everything from promises which are very often not kept. Africa should not have to hold out its hand. The causes of our ills are well-known; they do not constitute fate. Africa intends to rely on itself and to develop a proper quid pro quo, win-win partnership. Above all else, Africa today needs good governance, justice and solidarity”. The President of the African Commission spoke of his faith in Africa, which has “all the assets to succeed, with our great resources” and “which has the potential to be the largest site of development in the world, the world's youngest market and its largest”.
Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament, and Gertrude Mongella, President of the Pan-African Parliament, stressed two matters of urgency: that the Parliaments become fully involved in the institutional framework, and that the financial conditions to reinforce the Pan-African Parliament and the African Parliaments be set in place.
Ms Merkel strongly criticises Mugabe - Abdoulaye Wade plays for time
Although it did not eclipse the substance of the Summit, the Zimbabwe issue was raised by the EU during the debate on human rights and governance introduced by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the South African President Tabo Mbeki. Angela Merkel reiterated that human rights are universal and indivisible, and criticised violations of human rights, restrictions on press freedom and suffering endured by the population, all things which have “tarnished the image of Zimbabwe”. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish Prime Minister, who was speaking during the debate on energy and climate change, digressed to support this criticism. Robert Mugabe took the floor during the plenary session to blame the “arrogance” of the European side for the delay in the holding of the Summit. “Those who speak of equality have tried to impose their will on Africa”, he said, criticising the fact that Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden had seen fit to support the United Kingdom, in contradiction of the position of the SADC and the AU.
Javier Solana, the High Representative for CFSP, replied that the position defended by the German Chancellor was that of the EU, which is “concerned by the worsening economic, humanitarian and political situation”. The targeted sanctions in force are not economic sanctions against Zimbabwe, and the EU and the Member States are the largest donors to the country by some distance. The EU is Zimbabwe's friend and will contribute to its stabilisation and reconstruction once progress has been made, said Mr Solana, praising the mediation efforts made by Thabo Mbeki and the SADC.
Answering a journalist who asked the French President whether Ms Merkel had gone too far, Nicolas Sarkozy said about Mr Mugabe: “I would not have shaken his hand. I would not have met him. But it is up to the Africans to decide who should represent them. Not seeing each other for seven years is too great an honour for Mugabe”. This view was shared by Commissioner Louis Michel, who is opposed to “dictating to the Africans the choice as to their representation”.
Abdoulaye Wade, for his part, told the press that “everybody is sincere”, but that Ms Merkel, like the EU, had based their position on erroneous information. Rather than sanctioning Zimbabwe, the Senegalese President argued, it would be better to help the country to hold democratic elections.
Libya proposed to host the next EU-Africa Summit in 2010. Whatever the final decision, it will be held in Africa. (A.N)