The Courier

Patsy Tshindele, Untitled 2007, 2009, 119x198 cm, acrylic on canvac, "Why Africa? La collezione Pigozzi", Pinacoteca Giovanni et Marella Agnelli, Electa 2007.

Credit C.A.A.C. - The Pigozzi collection, Geneva

The Lisbon Summit is the second of its kind following the Cairo Summit in 2000 where willingness was shown to extend cooperation between the two continents in the fields of economics, the fight against crime and defence.

However, several things have changed in seven years for both partners. The number of EU Member States has almost doubled while the Organisation of African Unity has been transformed into the African Union and has incorporated the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). A European preparatory paper indicates that progress has been made in the democratisation process on both continents.

These developments have made the 2007 Summit a matter of urgency, particularly as the previous summit, scheduled for 2003, did not take place because of a disagreement between the Africans and Europeans over the participation of Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe. While the Europeans, led by the British, pointed to human rights violations and crimes against the state to justify their position, the Africans argued that each party should have sovereign power to decide who represented it.

“Nothing can stop this summit from going ahead”, says Louis Michel
Four years on and positions on Zimbabwe remain different. However, both sides want to ensure this delicate issue does not prevent the Summit from going ahead. While British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, and other European leaders have made it clear they may reconsider their participation if the Zimbabwean President attends, confidence is high in diplomatic circles that the Summit will take place whatever the level of representation from certain delegations. This backs up the view expressed at the end of September by Louis Michel, European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, that nothing can stop this Summit from going ahead. It has been much anticipated for four years, particularly in view of the recent summit between Africa and China. While the prospect of huge Chinese investment may seem attractive in the short-term to states struggling financially, a long-term approach is needed which looks beyond the exploitation of natural resources. According to a diplomat involved in the preparation of the Summit, the relationship with the EU may be more demanding in the short-term, but ultimately it promises to deliver much more.
Luis Amado, the Foreign Affairs Minister for Portugal – the Member State currently holding the EU Presidency – said in October that it would be a huge strategic mistake to let the relationship between two such important continental organisations break down because of a disagreement over Zimbabwe.

Political pressure is being exerted from all sides. At the Council of the EU, it was pointed out that Latin America also held a summit with Africa in 2006 and it is therefore time for Africa’s leaders to meet with their counterparts from Europe – Africa’s most important partner in all areas. The need for such a meeting has become even more pressing as positions have changed dramatically since the Cairo Summit. The Europeans are now much more aware that the EU has strategic interests in Africa, particularly in the energy sector.

Working together

Key challenges, such as the Millennium Development Goals, migration and terrorism, must be tackled together with Africa and in Africa. In other words, the Lisbon Summit will provide clear acknowledgement of the fact that while Africa needs Europe, Europe needs Africa too. A European diplomat said that the aid-beneficiary relationship has become a much more solid interaction in a range of areas (for example, peace and security, governance, trade, migration, climate change and energy).

All of these areas are covered by two documents that will be adopted at the Summit – the Common Strategy and the Action Plan – which aim to build on the Strategy for Africa approved by the EU in December 2005 with the participation of the African side. They will set out a roadmap for a new partnership which will take account of the diversification and extension of cooperation between the two continents.

The Summit’s main objectives include the strengthening of the partnership with regard to the Common Strategy. The main aim of this is to promote peace and security by supporting African peacekeeping forces, particularly the African Standby Force. It is also concerned with sustainable development, human rights, continental integration, the improvement of the management of public affairs by supporting reforms (based on the African Peer Review Mechanism) and also the fight against illegal trafficking in natural resources.

The strategy also deals with key development issues such as increasing the level of aid and improving the coherence of policies in this area. It should also provide the means to ensure that migration contributes towards sustainable development on both continents. Environmental issues and food safety are also a key part of this new partnership.

The third priority is to jointly tackle global challenges such as breaches of human rights, health, environmental and energy issues, information technology, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Another key challenge is the integration of Africa into the global economy and to improve its competitiveness by means of the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the four African sub-Saharan regions. The Lisbon Summit will also be a test of the political will of both sides with respect to the level of financial commitment to which they are prepared to agree.

Finally, the Common Strategy aims to extend the partnership to players outside of the state, such as private companies, unions, civil society organisations and parliaments. The Lisbon Summit will be accompanied by a series of peripheral events connected to the main event, which is the summit of the heads of state and government. These peripheral events include a meeting of Pan-African and European parliaments, meetings between members of civil society, a youth summit and an Africa Finance Investment Forum to look at business opportunities in Africa (www.emrc.be). As The Courier was going to press, diplomats’ only fear was that difficulties in negotiations on the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) could throw a shadow over the Summit.