Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-12-11-Speech-2-274"
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"en.20071211.37.2-274"2
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Mr President, Commissioner Michel, ladies and gentlemen, the second EU-Africa Summit that was held last weekend in Lisbon was undoubtedly a success and marked the start of a new relationship between the European Union and Africa based on strategic dialogue. Almost 80 Heads of State and Government, the Presidents of the European Parliament and Pan-African Parliament and representatives of civil society sent strong messages to the European people, to the African people and to the world.
The concrete expression of the new relationship between the EU and Africa can be found in the documents – in my opinion high-quality documents – that were adopted at the summit: the Joint Strategy, the Action Plan and the Lisbon Declaration. These documents set out the specific details of the relationship between Europe and Africa. The new approach firstly favours multilateral channels and, secondly, tries to deal in an integrated manner with all the various dimensions of the relationship. This approach constitutes the difference that the EU can bring, particularly in comparison with other international actors.
The treatment of Africa as a partner in strategic dialogue was also reflected in the method followed when both preparing for the summit and producing the documents that this summit was to adopt. The strategy – for the first time a genuinely joint strategy – and the action plan were the result of intense and in-depth work with the African side, in particular with the African Union, and were, in the end, prepared and concluded by a joint group of experts.
I must also highlight at this point the constructive role played by the European Parliament in the process of producing the documents and preparing for the Lisbon Summit. The Joint Strategy identifies four interlinked areas of common concern: peace and security, democratic governance and human rights, trade and regional integration, and development. For the initial period from 2008 to 2010, the first action plan provides for eight partnerships in areas of common concern which primarily aim to have a positive impact on the day-to-day lives of African and European citizens.
The Lisbon Summit confirmed the major changes that have occurred in Europe, Africa and the world. In the Europe of today, with 27 Member States, there are very diverse external policy priorities and approaches. The African Union is emerging as a favoured discussion partner of the EU, with the agenda also including the issue of human rights and good governance. There is also a widespread perception that a series of global challenges, such as peace, security and international trade, require concerted action on the part of the international community, thereby justifying the emergence of new forms of cooperation. The same can be said with regard to finding answers to problems affecting both Europe and Africa, in particular the effects of climate change, management of energy resources and migration flows.
Africa and the EU understand that there is a need to raise their relations to a new level, with the summit representing the moment when this common desire became clear and unequivocal. However, the second EU-Africa Summit must not be presented as the end of the road, but rather as the turning point in relations between the two continents.
Therefore, of particular importance in the documents adopted, especially to guarantee a medium- and long-term view, is the explicit reference to the follow-up mechanisms for decisions made. In addition to setting a three-year frequency for these summits, sectoral ministerial and expert meetings are planned for the various areas of the action plan, together with regular contacts between the Commissions of the European Union and the African Union. However, civil society, NGOs, trade unions, business forums and think tanks will also have a very important role to play in implementing and monitoring the planned measures.
Finally, I must stress the central role of the European and Pan-African Parliaments in implementing the new partnership. Existing ties between the parliamentary representatives of Europe and Africa must now be reinforced. The Presidency is delighted, as you must be aware, at the joint statement presented by the Presidents of the two Parliaments at the second EU-Africa Summit. There can be no doubt that a new and very exciting road is opening up in the relationship between Europe and Africa following the Lisbon Summit."@en1
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