Key challenges with regard to the Africa-EU Platform on Governance

ECDPM Preparatory Note for the Joint Workshop on the Africa-EU Platform for Dialogue on Governance, 13-14 September 2010

The Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) agreed upon during the Lisbon Summit (2007), reflects a commitment to establish a “strengthened political partnership” between both continents. It is meant to provide an “overarching long-term framework for Africa-EU relations” to be implemented through eight thematic partnerships, successive Action Plans (APs) and a multi-layered institutional architecture.

Governance and human rights occupy a central position in the new policy framework. The related ‘Partnership on Democratic Governance and Human Rights’ (PDGHR) is expected to “enable a comprehensive continent-to-continent dialogue and cooperation” on a wide range of governance issues. The first Action Plan 2008-2010 includes priority actions geared at enhancing dialogue at various levels as well as supporting the pan-African governance architecture. The governance partnership has two peculiarities, not to be found in the other 8 partnerships of the JAES. First, both parties agreed to put in place a “platform for dialogue on all governance issues of mutual interest”. Second, the EU committed itself to set-up “an instrument” to support the pan-African governance architecture (taking into account the positive experience with the African Peace Facility).

Download the full preparatory note.