Opening Remarks by Ms Sue van der Merwe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of the Workshop to prepare for the Africa-Europe Political Dialogue, Diplomatic Guesthouse, 14 August 2007

 Chairperson
Distinguished Delegates
Ladies and Gentlemen  

Overview of the Africa - Europe Dialogue

After a seven-year hiatus, preparations are underway in what promises to be a historic Summit between African and European Heads of State in Portugal in December this year.

Europe is not only South Africa’s main trading partner but is a major partner in the development process of the African continent. Continued collaboration between Africa and   Europe is also critical in the realisation of the revival of our continent and in terms of meeting our developmental objectives, as envisaged in our NEPAD programme. 

Renewed collaboration between Africa and the Europe we anticipate will bring with it an increase in the number of external partners in development.  Such collaboration will, we believe, also assist in the promotion of  predictable and sustainable funding for African-led development efforts.

The success of future African - European relations will serve as a determining factor in the advancement of a credible North-South Dialogue.  The envisaged Joint Africa - Europe Strategy is a step in this direction and will contribute to the advancement of other North-South initiatives such as the G8’s Development Agenda for Africa. 

For Africa’s part, a central objective in such an Africa – Europe Partnership should therefore be to reduce and eventually eradicate poverty on the African continent. 

This objective will entail support for sustainable economic, social and environmental development, the promotion of the gradual integration of the developing countries into the world economy and a determination to combat inequality. 

As Africa’s relations with Europe and the European Union continue to deepen - both in terms of high-level political consultations and growth in economic relations and development cooperation, we also need to ensure that the we create the necessary conditions for sustainable development in line with the NEPAD objectives.  These would include support by our European counterparts in promoting peace and security, good and effective governance, trade promotion, social cohesion, environmental sustainability, regional integration, infrastructural development and investing in people.  In addition, African - European cooperation should focus on investment in areas important for the fulfilment of the MDGs, such as health, education and the environment. 

With regard to the achievement of the MDGs, it is now widely accepted that Africa will not meet the target dates set.  New measures are needed, including more effective and efficient aid from development partners and improved policies and governance from developing countries.  Hence, the importance of taking Africa’s cooperation with Europe a step further.

Crafting of the Joint Africa – Europe Strategy

It is envisaged that during the Second Africa-Europe Summit in December that the Joint Africa-Europe Strategy will be adopted. 

The Strategy will be a focused, political document that sets out a vision for African - European relations in the decade ahead. The focus will be on building on a relationship that should be flexible, deeper, and include new areas of common interests. The structure of the Strategy will be clustered into four themes which will constitute the fundamental pillars of Africa’s development. These are Peace and Security, Human Rights and Good Governance, Regional Integration and Trade, and Developmental issues.

Processes / Timetable to be followed:

During the 8 th Africa-EU Ministerial Troika Meeting held in Brussels on 15 May 2007, the Outline for the Joint Africa – Europe Strategy was adopted. This set the parameters for the negotiations of the Joint Strategy as well as the timetable for the completion and adoption of the Joint Strategy.

 The Ministerial Troika Meeting mandated the EU/Africa Experts Troika Group to continue its work on crafting a Joint Africa – Europe Strategy and an initial Action Plan. A series of Experts Working Group meetings were formalised by the EU and the AU at a meeting held in Addis Ababa in June 2007. The meetings will take place between July to October 2007. The Joint Africa – Europe Strategy will be presented to the 9 th EU-Africa Ministerial Troika Meeting that will take place in Accra, Ghana on 31 October 2007. The aim would then be to have the finalised Joint Strategy adopted at the Second Africa – Europe Summit in Lisbon during December 2007.

Implementation, Financing and Follow-up Mechanisms:

The Joint Strategy will be implemented through successive Action Plans, thereby building on the operational part of the Strategy.  Relevant programmes, projects and activities will be identified and accordingly implemented.  The existing Joint Implementation Matrix will be improved and updated with monitoring and evaluation mechanisms jointly established.  Assessing the impact of the Strategy against intended targets and results would also have to take place. Furthermore, the two sides are expected to work closely together to secure appropriate funding and to enhance the accessibility of financing sources to give effect to the Strategy.

The issue of implementation, financing and follow-up mechanisms, which were clearly absent in the European drafts of the Outline were raised as a key concern by the South African negotiators since January 2007.  The outcome of the final agreed-upon Outline adopted at the May 2007 Troika meeting in Brussels was therefore a constructive and concrete step forward, as it took into account South Africa’s major concerns.

Through the Outline for a Joint Strategy, the African side has been able to ensure that the issues concerning implementation, financing and follow-up mechanisms were placed into the draft outline during the final meeting of the Experts Troika Meeting in Brussels during May 2007.  This is a significant positive step in making inroads for a sustainable, pro-developmental Joint Strategy.

Africa should remain focussed on inputs that will ensure that the Outline document will be effectively implemented, generously funded, closely monitored and regularly evaluated. The Joint Strategy must also be able to feed into the broader NEPAD framework, so that the Action Plans deriving from the Joint Strategy complement and strengthen the implementation of NEPAD and its projects.

In short, this is our opportunity to take the process of Africa’s development one step closer to realisation by negotiating for a pro-African Joint Strategy.

The Way Forward:

There is a lot of groundwork required before the Joint Strategy can be agreed upon and implemented. However, the African approach to negotiating with the European Union has been fragmented, and at times contradictory. This issue requires urgent attention if Africa is to fully maximise from a joint partnership with Europe. 

The purpose of today’s deliberations will be to study and develop on the Outline document, and not to re-draft it. We will need to analyse  the proposals contained in the Outline document in accordance with what South Africa would like to see as an outcome from the Strategy.  Taking national, regional and continental concerns into account, the South African input will then be forwarded to the AU Commission for consideration by the Drafting Committee and the EU/Africa Experts Troika Working Group of which South Africa, led by the DTI, is a member.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, Chairperson, I would like to underscore that ownership of such a proposed strategy by African countries is the key to the success of any development policy to be implemented on the African continent.  It is therefore to be welomed that Europe attaches great importance to the quality of dialogue with its African partners. It is up to us to ensure that we have made an impact on the crafting of the Joint Strategy.

I wish you well in your deliberations and look forward to the outcomes of this meeting.

I thank you.

Issued by Department of Foreign Affairs
Private Bag X152
Pretoria
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16 August 2007