S van der Merwe: Africa-Europe Political Dialogue preparation
workshop

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 New Partnership for Africa's
Development (Nepad) programme.

Renewed collaboration between Africa and the Europe, we anticipate to 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 co-operation, we also need to ensure that 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 co-operation should focus on investment in areas important for
the fulfilment of the Millennium Developmental Goals (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 co-operation 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 or timetable to be followed:

During the 8th 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 and October 2007. The Joint Africa–Europe Strategy will
be presented to the ninth 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 African Uniion (AU) Commission for consideration by the
Drafting Committee and the EU/Africa Experts Troika Working Group of which
South Africa, led by the Department of Trade and Industry (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 welcomed 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
16 August 2007