Brussels, 22/02/2008 (Agence Europe) - The African group of ambassadors to Brussels has welcomed the appeal launched by the African Union (AU) to reopen, at the highest level and without delay, discussions on the economic partnerships agreements (EPA), in line with the conclusions of the EU/Africa Summit of Lisbon last December. To date, however, there is nothing to indicate that on the European side, preparations to implement the promise made in Lisbon are picking up speed.
A source close to the European Commission states that no date has as yet been earmarked in the diary of José Manuel Barroso for the organisation of a high-level meeting with the African leaders with responsibility for negotiations for each of the four African regions of the ACP (Africa/Caribbean/Pacific) group. At the EU/Africa Summit, this consultation meeting at the highest level had been announced for February 2008, with a view to facilitating the continuation of negotiations, taking due account of the development and regional integration concerns of the African countries.
In a press release published on 21 February, after a meeting given over to the decisions of the tenth AU Summit, the African group of ambassadors to Brussels welcomed the dynamic in which the AU has committed to ensure the construction of a united and integrated Africa standing together in solidarity and warmly welcomed the decision of the AU Summit regarding EPA, which called, amongst other things, “on the European Union and its Member States to reinforce the negotiation mandate on the EPA of the European Commission, in order to allow it to effectively achieve the development objectives of the EPA”. On the same occasion, the AU called on the regional economic communities and the African negotiation groups which have initialled provisional agreements to “ensure that the definitive agreements which are to be signed are coherent with the regional integration projects”. Furthermore, the Heads of State and Government of the AU reaffirmed the mandate of the Commission of the AU, tasking it with the coordination, monitoring and harmonisation of the efforts of the regional economic communities, and urging the “ministers of the AU with responsibility for Trade and the African negotiators to remain vigilant over the coming stages of the negotiations”. The ministers of the AU for Trade and Finance were called upon to “hold, as soon as possible”, a meeting to prepare for the EU/Africa consultations at the highest level.
The African group of ambassadors to Brussels voiced their particular satisfaction at the letter which Alpha Oumar Konaré, the outgoing president of the Commission of the AU, sent to his opposite number, José Manuel Barroso, on 6 February, to draw his attention to the opportunity to act with diligence for the reopening of negotiations.
In their declaration, the ambassadors voice their hopes that the response of the European Commission to this letter would be favourable to the resumption of negotiations on new bases, taking careful account of the development and economic integration strategies adopted by the continent by means of the Constitutive Act of the African Union. The AU is currently rationalising African regional organisations in such a way as to ensure that an individual State belongs to just one regional organisation at once (CEDEAO, COMESA, SADC, CEAC). “Unless we can negotiate between the EU and the AU (the AU has no control over the African economies), then we must at least ensure that the negotiations can take place under the aegis of the AU or bear in mind its strategy to promote integration”, explained Cheikh Niang, of the representation of the AU to Brussels.
Sources close to José Manuel Barosso confirm that they had received and encoded the letter from Alpha Oumar Konaré on 21 February, but no response had as yet been completed. (A.N.)