Agenda for Action: An EARN Proposal on the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and the Future of Africa-EU Relations

ECDPM contributed to this Europe Africa Research Network (EARN) publication

The 3rd Summit of Africa1 and EU Heads of State and Government to be held in Tripoli (Libya, 29-30 November 1010) provides an opportunity to assess progress of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) since the last Summit in 1007. The JAES remains an innovative framework for a more comprehensive and deeper partnership between Africa and the EU. The JAES has the potential to overcome the traditional donor-recipient relationship and to reinforce political dialogue at 2 continental level on all thematic areas of common interest to Africa and Europe.

Three years is clearly too short a period to assess the results of this ambitious framework and to ensure full ownership by the various stakeholders in both Africa and Europe. Dialogue and cooperation have improved in key areas such as Peace and Security and in some relatively new areas such as Climate Change, Energy and Science, In formation Society and Space. Regular Commission-to-Commission meetings, Troika: Ministerial and technical experts meetings and the establishment of a strong EU Delegation to the African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa have contributed to broaden and intensify discussions between both Unions. The AU is increasingly taking up its continental mandate, which is also reflected in the progress on pan-African architectures on Peace and Security and on Governance.