College to College Declaration

(Press Release)--The adoption of the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership at the second Africa-EU Summit in Lisbon in December 2007 opened a new era in Africa-Europe relations, characterised by a consensus on values and a shared vision, and based on a more open and mature dialogue addressing global issues. Heads of State and Government expressed their determination that 2008 should be a year of delivery and visible progress in implementation.

Over the past ten months institutional mechanisms were set up to launch the Africa-EU Joint Strategy and its first Action Plan, but the initial progress needs to be further consolidated to fully implement the eight thematic partnerships. The AU-EU Ministerial Troika of 16 September 2008 called upon the African and European Commissions to contribute further to those collective efforts. The alliance between the two Commissions remains instrumental for taking this new partnership forward, to share experiences and best practices, and to develop joint initiatives. During today’s fourth College-to-College meeting - the first one after the Lisbon Summit - we have reviewed progress and reached agreement on the next steps. We, the European and African Union Commissions, have agreed in particular:

- to continue to tackle the challenges of conflict and insecurity. The EU appreciates Africa’s effort to bring about peace in Africa and will pursue its support to strengthening Africa’s capacity in crisis management. This includes the support to the operationalisation of the African Standby Force, through military and civilian training, and to early warning systems. Progress is also being made in preparing the second African Peace Facility (APF). This APF aims at supporting the AU’s capacity to lead peace support operations (PSOs), as well as conflict prevention and post-conflict stabilisation including UNSCR 1325. It should become operational in early 2009, with an allocation of € 300 million for the period 2008-2010. Additional support will be provided through the Instrument for Stability (IfS). Cooperation to combat terrorism and the illicit trafficking of firearms will continue. Dialogue will be launched on the security challenges in the Sahel region.

- to cooperate to improve governance and human rights and support African countries’ efforts to build their own democratic systems. Support to the pan-African governance and human rights architecture will continue through dialogue and cooperation. Africa and the EU will work together on issues of common interest such as local governance, media and development, gender mainstreaming and election observation. In order to involve in this joint work the widest range of actors and stakeholders, Africa and the EU will launch, in 2009, a "Platform for dialogue on democratic governance and human rights". The two Commissions underlined the necessity to fight impunity within the framework of international law to ensure that individuals who commit grave offences such as war crimes and crimes against humanity are brought to justice. The European Commission took note of Africa’s concerns about the application of the principle of the universal jurisdiction as expressed by the AU Summit in Sharm-el-Sheik in July 2008.

- to foster Africa’s economic integration and encourage the creation of fully-fledged regional markets. Initiatives include training and information sharing on how to facilitate trade by harmonising rules, standards and procedures in a variety of fields such as animal and plant health, food and feed, industrial standards, statistics, customs management. A high level EC mission to Africa in the field of sanitary and phytosanitary standards and health is expected in early 2009. In addition, support to the reform of customs systems and procedures will be provided. The EU-Africa Infrastructure Partnership will support reliable infrastructure networks, to interconnect the African continent in areas such as transport, water, energy and ICTs. The Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) are designed to foster trade and regional integration at the service of development. The AUC took note of Communication on Regional Integration for Development in ACP countries presented by the European Commission, and both Commissions agreed to continue discussions with continental, regional and national organisations on these issues.

- to pursue the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015, especially in the fields of food security, health, education, and women’s empowerment. The AU capacities for prioritising agriculture in African policies will be reinforced and support will provided to the ongoing AU- and NEPAD-coordinated efforts in assisting African countries to tackle the food crisis. The European Commission informed the AUC on ongoing initiatives to address this issue. Support will also continue in favour of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) pillars on food security, especially in the areas of information systems, risk management, strengthening of farmers’ organisations, agricultural research, country-level processes and agri-business development. The EU will adopt a programme of action in November 2008 to tackle the critical shortage of human resources in the health sector, including its brain-drain dimension. Consultations will continue on access to essential medicines, sexual and reproductive health and rights, social protection and the implementation of international health law. In the field of education, the shortage of human resources and increased access for girls will be addressed. A conference on Africa-EU cooperation on mobility in higher education, to take place in Brussels in December 2008, will aim at enhancing the participation of African students in programmes such as Erasmus Mundus and Julius Nyerere.

- to strengthen our cooperation in the field of energy by fostering our dialogue on energy access and security, improving access to services and encouraging investment in infrastructure. In September 2008, our respective Commissioners responsible for Infrastructure, Energy and Development delivered a joint statement and agreed that priorities should be: regional integration and upgrading of energy infrastructure including interconnections within Africa and with the EU, the promotion of an enabling environment for private sector investment, improving access to energy services, exploring Africa’s renewable energy potential in a sustainable way, improving energy efficiency and reducing waste. The two Commissions hereby fully endorse this joint statement.

- to increase our joint efforts to fight climate change and environmental degradation. We have agreed on the principle of a joint AU-EU Declaration on Climate Change to be adopted at the Ministerial Troika in November, ahead of the Poznan UNFCCC. We consider the implementation of the Global Climate Change Alliance (GCCA) in Africa as instrumental to enhance our political dialogue and cooperation on climate change, particularly with a view to concluding negotiations on a strengthened and effective global agreement for the climate change regime after 2012, by the end of 2009. The EU is considering possible forms of support to the Africa Climate Information for Development programme (ClimDev). In the context of fighting against land degradation and aridity, we shall launch a scoping study for the Green Wall for the Sahara and the Sahel Initiative. We reiterate our joint commitment to promote sustainable forest management and to fight illegal logging through processes such as FLEGT (Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade). We shall also increase the African capacity to implement Multilateral Environmental Agreements.

- to approach migration flows in a concerted manner for the mutual benefit and development of both continents, and to address illegal or irregular migration and the smuggling and trafficking of human beings in the framework of the Tripoli Joint Africa-EU Declaration on Migration and Development and the Africa-EU Plan of Action on trafficking of human beings. Priority measures include the facilitation of safer, faster and cheaper remittances, as well as cooperation on the possible establishment of an African Remittances Institute. We will also enhance cooperation with African diaspora organisations through structured dialogue, including in the framework of the upcoming African Diaspora Summit organised by the AU. The EC supports the creation of a network of migration observatories and assists African governments to set up Migration Information and Management Centres, such as the CIGEM, to open in Mali on 6 October. We have exchanged experiences and best practices in employment policies, with a special focus on the Ouagadougou Plan of Action on employment and poverty alleviation in Africa and the decent work agenda. We will also continue our dialogue on social protection, including in view of the forthcoming AU Conference of Social Development Ministers, to take place in Namibia from 27 to31 October.

- to harness the potential of science and technology, information society and space technologies for development, the two Commissions agreed to further their cooperation on the basis of 19 lighthouse projects meant to implement the three priority actions of the partnership n°8. To maximise the potential of science and technology for poverty reduction, growth, and socio-economic development, two projects have been identified: African research grants, fellowships and scientific awards, and water and food security in Africa. We shall also continue consultations on possible support to African regional centres of excellence in research and to pan-African thematic universities. In the area of space applications, we shall implement the process launched in Lisbon last December on "Global Monitoring for Environment and Security" (GMES/Kopernicus) and Africa. An observatory that exploits geospatial science for sustainable development will also be supported. To bridge the digital divide, we shall support the deployment of broadband ICT networks, the setting up of regulatory frameworks, as well as the development of human resources, local content and applications, and research and education networks. Two projects have been identified: the African Internet Exchange System (AXIS), aiming at developing a regional internet infrastructure, and the AfricaConnect project, aiming at extending the reach of the European GEANT2 research and education network to sub-Saharan Africa.

- to strengthen further our institutional ties, Commission to Commission. Today, we signed an addendum to our Memorandum of Understanding to promote sharing of experience, notably through joint training and staff exchange between our respective institutions. Areas for strengthened cooperation include among others strategic planning, monitoring and evaluation, budgeting, auditing, accounting, contract, procurement and finance, as well as human resources development and management. Multilingualism and communication will also be reinforced through joint initiatives, such as an AU-EU web portal on the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership.

We are determined to strengthen our collaboration in the implementation of the Africa-EU Strategic Partnership, in order to deliver concrete and visible results in each of the 8 thematic partnerships. We will pursue our regular dialogue and meet again to review progress in 2009. Globalisation is making strides, and no single country or continent can tackle challenges such as climate change, rising energy and food prices, or threats to peace and security on its own. We need each other, now and tomorrow, and will continue to work together as equal partners in an increasingly interdependent world.

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