Title: Joint AfricaEU Strategy JAES State of Play An Independent Perspective from Europe Veronika Tywuschik
1Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) State of
PlayAn Independent Perspective from
EuropeVeronika Tywuschik James Mackie (ECDPM)
2ECDPM
- Independent foundation based in Maastricht
Brussels - Specialising in ACP-EU and AU-EU relations
- Facilitation of dialogue
- Practical analysis and information
- Capacity and partnership development
- Three ECDPM programmes
- Trade Economic Cooperation
- Governance
- Development Policy International Relations
(DPIR) - ECDPM the Joint Africa-EU Strategy
- Facilitation of public consultation on Joint
Strategy (2007) - Non partisan support to players in Joint Strategy
process - Website (europafrica.net) as an independent
platform for dialogue and discussion on Joint
Strategy - Monthly E-mail Bulletin on Africa-EU Relations
3Structure of the Presentation
- 1st part
- Overview of the JAES implementation and
monitoring process since 2008 - 2nd part
- JAES and REC involvement
- Potential future engagement
4ECDPM Analysis Primarily Drawn From
- Beyond Structures Reflections on the
Implementation of the - Joint Africa-EU Strategy
- Veronika Tywuschik Andrew Sheriff (2009)
- www.ecdpm.org/dp87
5Background to the JAES
- Adopted at the EU-Africa Heads of State Summit in
Lisbon in December 2007 - A joint strategy developed after the EU
unilaterally developed its EU Strategy for
Africa in 2005 - JAES is not a legal framework but a jointly
agreed Strategy - Drivers - globalization, geopolitical
considerations, political integration, relative
failure of past joint agreements between Europe
and Africa - Cotonou Agreement remains in place as the main
legal framework of EC-Africa development
cooperation but more limited as does not cover
EU MS programmes
6Key Innovations related to the JAES
- Treating Africa as one
- Continent to Continent Dialogue
- Conscious attempt to address lack of policy
complementarity (between EC, EU member-states
different policies) - Shared global positions between the continents
- The African Union as the interlocutor
- Clear institutional innovations (new Joint
Africa-EU structures) - Moving beyond traditional development issues to
global issues
7- Membership of thematic partnerships drawn from EU
MS, African states and European and African CSOs - Priority actions and Joint Africa-EU Expert
Groups (JEGs) for each thematic partnership - JEGs each co-chaired by an African a European
MS or Commission
8Key Developments in the JAES Process in 2008
A year of primarily setting up the Institutional
Architecture (the main achievement of
2008) Beginning of a Continent to Continent
Dialogue Redefining old Joint Structures
EU-Africa Ministerial Troikas, EU Commission to
AU Commission meetings, Joint Africa-EU Task
Force New Joint Structures - Joint Expert
Working Groups for each thematic Partnership
(JEGs), African and EU Implementation Teams,
enlarged Joint Africa-EU Task Force , Joint
Meetings of EU Political and Security Committee
and AU Peace and Security Committee Joint
EU-Africa Declaration on Climate Change
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10What is happening with the JAES in 2009
- 1st Semester
- Clarifying of positions and priorities (African
and European Implementation teams in each
thematic area and JEGs) - Joint Africa-EU Task Force (17-18 March 2009)
widening its membership beyond the two
Commissions to JEG groups (Member States) - JEGs 2nd meetings finalized Priorities and
Action Plan in a Road Map (28 April 2009) - Joint Africa-EU Ministerial Troika (28 April
2009) - 2nd Semester
- Finance seminar (Sept 09)
- Possible European and African CSO Forum (Sept-Oct
09?) - JEGs 3rd meetings (Oct-Nov 09)
- College to College meeting (Oct. 09)
- Mid Term Review of Progress (Oct-Nov 09)
- Ministerial Troika (beginning of Nov 09)
11Main Challenges - Going Forward for the (JAES)
- One year is too early to judge progress but
judging will start nonetheless - Overcoming wider mistrust through dialogue and
deed - Resourcing (Money!) the Strategy and its thematic
partnerships - Complementarity with other (EU and bilateral)
policy frameworks - Asymmetric partnership between Africa and Europe
- African and European political integration
processes - Extending ownership beyond the Brussels Addis
Ababa axis - Building critical awareness from progress
- Management of an inclusive process
- Being clear about the consequences of failure
12The RECs and the JAES process
- Officially all RECs invited to be part of JAES
implementation - Little participation at start ? African co-chairs
and AU agreed to mobilize RECs - 2009 COMESA, ECCAS, SADC, EAC have all
announced their interest in several partnerships - RECs mentioned in general terms in all EU-Africa
documents - Roadmaps of different partnerships highlight
where RECs are specifically involved (projects) - However no RECs in official JAES meetings
besides some engagement in JEGs
13Using the RECs expertise in the JAES
14RECs involvement in JAES partnerships 2 cases
- Peace and Security Partnership
- APSA Regional Stand-By Brigades central to the
partnership - Operationalisation of APSA requires strong
cooperation between AU and RECs MoU on APSA
respective responsibilities, needs, action plans - JAES provides framework for EU MS support to APSA
- EU GSC visiting ECOWAS, ECCAS, NARC, SADC
- Trade, Regional Integration Infrastructure
Partnership - Implementation of Minimum Integration Programme
(MIP) by RECs discussed by Conference of African
Ministers in Charge of Regional Integration
(COMAI) - RECs involvement in harmonisation of standards
norms - Monitoring of EPAs and discussion on Aid for
Trade
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16Promoting Involvement of RECs in JAES
- Promote active participation in Expert Groups
- Attend official meetings of the JAES structures
such as the AU-PSC / EU-COPS meeting, Joint Task
Force, etc - Consider how best to circulate information and
encourage involvement - Close liaison with AUC essential
- Enhanced role of the REC Liaison Officers at the
AUC to cover JAES work systematically? - Link with EU through EC delegations MS missions
- Also link up with other JAES actors in Africa
civil society, parliamentarians, etc - Official JAES website http//africa-eu-partners
hip.org/
17Thank You
- More information can be obtained from our
website - www.europafrica.net and
- www.europafrique.net
- Or through email
- James Mackie jm_at_ecdpm.org,
- Veronika Tywuschik vt_at_ecdpm.org
- Andrew Sherriff as_at_ecdpm.org
- Or from the official JAES website
- www.africa-eu-partnership.org