EU Presidency Seminar on Africa “Strengthening Euro-Africa Partnerships: The Role of Parliaments”

LISBON, , 7 - 8 NOVEMBER 2007

AWEPA seminar stresses importance of reinforcing the dialogue between African and European parliamentarians in light of the EU-Africa Summit in Lisbon, December 2007 and the Joint Africa-EU Strategy

am fully aware that if national, regional and continental African parliaments are to Igenuinely succeed in this role, they will need to see their powers strengthened. In this regard I have nothing but praise for the support offered by the AWEPA to national parliaments in promoting good governance.( for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Louis Michel)

he Portuguese EU Presidency Seminar on Africa, “Strengthening Euro- TAfrica Partnerships: The Role of Parliaments”, was co-organised by the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal, European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA) and the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, on 7 November Dr. Jan Nico Scholten and Hon. Jaime Gama 2007 in the Portuguese Parliament. The seminar entailed two main sessions which address two priority topics: the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and NEPAD and Parliamentary Oversight of ODA. The seminar was attended by over 110 participants from 10 countries in Africa and 19 countries in Europe. The participants discussed ways to strengthen Africa - EU partnerships and the role of MPs from both continents in enhancing the effectiveness and quality of development cooperation strategies towards Africa. In addition, in the framework of the European Development Days (EDD), AWEPA in cooperation with the organised a side event on 8 November at which the topic of the “EU Response to Situations of Fragility” in Africa was addressed. •

Results THE JOINT AFRICA-EU STRATEGY AND need for clear provisions for parliaments ODA to exercise their right of scrutiny, oversight n light of the EU-Africa Heads of State and management of aid spending. he Portuguese EU Presidency Seminar Iand Government Summit in Lisbon, Furthermore, the debate at the seminar on Ton Africa sought to reinforce the 8-9 December 2007 the strategic the Strategy and the importance of dialogue between African and European framework for future relations of the EU parliamentary oversight of ODA parliamentarians and identify ways to and Africa, the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, complements the Slovenian EU strengthen Africa - EU partnerships. The was addressed at the seminar. In addition, Presidency seminar about the role of seminar contributed to the promotion of the importance of parliamentary oversight New EU Member States in EU-Africa a continent-to-continent dialogue on of Official Development Assistance (ODA) development policy and also the 118th IPU development strategies, awareness raising was prominent on the agenda. Assembly meeting in Cape Town. The on NEPAD in Europe and mobilising The outcome of the discussions Slovenian EU Presidency Seminar took European parliamentary action to support contributed to the Joint EP-PAP Statement place in , 27-28 February and the the initiative. As part of the AWEPA on the Joint Africa-EU Strategy leading up 118th IPU Assembly meeting was held in parliamentary support programme to the Lisbon Summit, emphasising the Cape Town, 13-18 April 2008. “Mobilising Parliaments for NEPAD” the incorporation of a parliamentary The EU Presidency Seminar established participants discussed strategies aimed at dimension in the “people-centred EU-AU that there is a need for a stronger enhancing effectiveness and quality of partnership”. Parliamentarians as parliamentary voice through a bilateral development cooperation strategies representatives of the people are an parliament-to-parliament ODA dialogue, towards Africa. • essential voice in the debate on the future along with the allocation of a minimum joint priorities of Africa and Europe. The portion of ODA expenditures for EP-PAP Statement also addresses the parliamentary capacity building. • during the Presidency seminar discussed Background

Reinforcing the Africa-EU Dialogue

THE JOINT AFRICA-EU STRATEGY and Europe with regard to the s a preparation to the EU-Africa achievement of commitments and goals ASummit in Lisbon in December 2007 concerning ODA. African and European the framework for the future relations of parliamentarians have a central role to the EU and Africa will be addressed, play in exercising oversight over their namely the Joint Africa-EU Strategy. This government on how the aid is spent should mark the beginning of a new and if it is spent effectively. Participants strategic long term partnership between discussed obstacles to parliamentary both continents for the 21st century. This oversight of ODA, as well as ways to includes reinforcing political partnerships overcome them. • between the EU and Africa and addressing common challenges in this respect. These OTHER RELATED ACTIVITIES challenges include: the promotion of he Portuguese EU Presidency peace and security; sustainable develop- TSeminar was organised parallel to the ment, human rights; trade and regional European Development Days (EDD) on Mr. Thierry Pietrzak and Dr. Jan Nico Scholten integration, including Economic 7-9 November 2007 in Lisbon, bringing Partnership Agreements (EPAs). • together development experts and the general public through debates and AWEPA organised a side-event at the EDD MOBILISING PARLIAMENTARIANS FOR cultural events. For more information on the “EU Response to Situations of NEPAD about the EDD in 2008 see website: Fragility in Africa” on 8 November, chaired his activity is part of the parliamentary http://eudevdays.eu by AWEPA President Dr. Jan Nico Scholten Tsupport programme “Mobilising with a presentation from Mr. Thierry Parliaments for NEPAD” (MPN)1, aimed This year, in line with Millennium Pietrzak of the European Commission. A at facilitating a greater involvement in the Development Goal 7 (ensure environmen- political debate followed with interventions NEPAD process for African and European tal sustainability), the EDD focused on from African and European Parliaments, by raising awareness and “climate change and development”. parliamentarians. promoting parliamentary action in various Sub-topics, such as vulnerability, poverty, areas of development relating to the migration and economic opportunities in During the EDD, AWEPA was also NEPAD initiative. relation to climate change were addressed represented at an information stand at the See also the NEPAD brochure, which is at the plenary sessions and roundtables so-called “development village”, that was available in: Arabic, English, French, with high-level key-note speeches from, set up for a number of actors to present Portuguese and Swahili, see website: amongst others, Prime Minister José their work related to the themes of the http://www.awepa.org/awepa- Socrates, President of the European forum and to facilitate contacts and news/nepad-brochure_en.html • Commission José Manual Barrosso, exchanges between development Commissioner Louis Michel and Mr. Kofi professionals. • PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT OF ODA Annan. n line with the Paris Declaration on Aid IEffectiveness and in order to attain the 1. The programme was endorsed by the following African institutions: the NEPAD Secretariat, MDGs, this seminar addressed the need the Pan-African Parliament, the African Parliamentarian’s Forum on NEPAD, the East African for greater transparency and mutual Legislative Assembly (EALA), the ECOWAS Parliament, SADC-Parliamentary Forum, and the accountability by governments in Africa NEPAD Contact Group of African Parliamentarians (NCGAP).

Actions Highlights • European Parliamentarians pledged undertake action regarding the NEPAD to undertake action to hold their commitments and to monitor governments to account on progress of achieving the MDGs. he main highlights of the discussions international commitments, to Twhich took place during the exercise parliamentary oversight and The results of the Portuguese EU Portuguese EU Presidency Seminar on to stimulate parliamentary questions Presidency Seminar were taken forward to Africa, “Strengthening Euro-Africa and debates about the level, the Slovenian Presidency Seminar on Partnerships: The Role of Parliaments” distribution and effectiveness of 27-28 February 2008 in the European can be summarized as follows: European ODA. Parliament in Brussels. In particular the • Parliamentarians are better informed • African Parliamentarians were findings regarding aid effectiveness will about the new Joint Africa-EU Strategy stimulated to build their capacity to also be taken along to upcoming AWEPA and the EU response to situations of analyse ODA data in the context of regional and international parliamentary fragility in Africa. their national budgets, track activities on aid effectiveness in Africa and • The result of the discussions on the government spending of ODA, and the 3rd High Level Forum on Aid Joint Africa-EU Strategy were access the impact and effectiveness Effectiveness in Accra in September 2008. presented at the PAP-EP pre-meeting of ODA from the standpoint of their which then fed into the EU-Africa constituencies. Furthermore, the seminar received a lot of Summit held in Lisbon on 8-9 • European and African MPs were media attention, mainly in Portugal: e.g. December 2007. better informed and stimulated to news articles, websites and television. • Speeches

KEY NOTE SPEAKERS its pitfalls. Mr. Laporte highlighted the fair competition and more trade with lack of prioritisation, indicators, Africa”. • on. Jaime Gama, Speaker of the instruments and timing in the action plan. HNational Assembly of Portugal, There is also no clear provision for To mark the occasion, AWEPA’s Director, opened the seminar expressing his parliamentary monitoring of the Strategy’s Dr. Jeff Balch, Director Research and concern about Africa: “among the 20 implementation. • Evaluation of AWEPA, launched a new poorest countries in the world 18 are AWEPA research report, “Tracking African countries”. He stressed the PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT OF ODA European Aid, Debt, and Trade importance of a strong relationship n relation to the ODA and the New Commitments to Africa,” on Official between Europe and Africa, to allow IPartnership for Africa’s Development Development Assistance (ODA), further implementation of the Joint Africa- (NEPAD) discussion, Hon. Kabakumba indicating to what extent the individual EU Strategy. Labwoni Masiko Princess, MP Uganda, European countries had met their In line with the Speakers’ words Hon. Vice-Chair of the NEPAD Contact Group obligations. Parliamentary scrutiny of Prof. Dr. João Gomes Cravinho, Secretary of African Parliamentarians, called on the ODA was now recognised as a necessity, of State of Portugal for International developed countries to fulfill their promise along with allocating a portion of ODA to Affairs and Cooperation, who was active of doubling aid as agreed at the G8 parliamentary capacity building. • for AWEPA in the early 1990s in meeting and “to open up their markets to Mozambique and South Africa, spoke about the need for a strategic partnership between Europe and Africa, as Portugal has with Brazil. In relation to this Hon. Cravinho highlighted the necessity of addressing global issues, such as good governance, migration flows, climate change and private sector development. “Africa has changed,” said Mr. David Gakunzi of the North-South Centre, “so we need to change the way we talk about Africa, as it certainly has a lot of possibilities.”• THE JOINT AFRICA-EU STRATEGY AND NEPAD Dr. Jan Nico Scholten, Hon. Jaime Gama, Hon. Prof. Dr. João Gomes Cravinho, he European Commissioner for Mr. David Gakunzi of the North-South Centre TDevelopment and Humanitarian Aid, H.E. Louis Michel, expressed his appreciation of the work of the Association of European Parliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA) in strengthening African parliaments. He also expressed his hope for further co-operation between the European Commission and AWEPA. “There is no better control than parlia- mentary control,” the Commissioner added. He also emphasised that the importance of freedom of the press, transparency and promotion of participa- H.E. Mahamat Saleh Annadif tion in the democratic process were vital Hon. Kabakumba Labwoni Masiko Princess for the creation of an appropriate environment for oversight.

H.E. Mahamat Saleh Annadif, Permanent Representative of the African Union to the European Union and the ACP, welcomed the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, based on common challenges and shared values. The Ambassador stressed that to achieve the objectives of the strategy, Africa should be treated as a single entity. •

Mr. Geert Laporte of the European Centre for Development Policy Management H.E. Louis Michel (ECDPM), saw the Joint Africa-EU Strategy Mr. Geert Laporte to be a major step forward, but also noted Other

About AWEPA parliamentarians as members from the and European he Association of European national parliaments. AWEPA works in TParliamentarians for Africa (AWEPA) Africa through capacity building works in cooperation with African programmes to strengthen the core Parliaments to strengthen parliamentary functions of parliaments: oversight, democracy in Africa, keep Africa high on representation and legislation. In Europe, the political agenda in Europe, and AWEPA members work to increase the facilitate African-European Parliamentary commitment among parliamentarians dialogue. and other political leaders towards It has some 1500 current and former important issues in Africa. •

Hon. Veronica Macamo and About AWEPA sections The Way Forward Mr. Pär Granstedt WEPA works to intensify its efforts to WEPA organises twice a year interna- A keep Africa on the political agenda in A tional parliamentary seminars under Europe and to promote a North-South the auspices of the rotating EU Presidency Programme Descriptions dialogue. In this regard, AWEPA has built to strengthen African-European partner- up a broad member network of current ships. The next Presidency of the EU will go EU PRESIDENCY SEMINARS ON AFRICA and former European parliamentarians, to Slovenia. On 27-28 February AWEPA n conjunction with the rotating chairs usually grouped in a so-called section. A organised together with the European Iof the EU, AWEPA organises twice a section consists of a group of European Parliament, the International AIDS Vaccine year EU Presidency Seminars on Africa. parliamentarians in the concerned parlia- Initiative (IAVI) and the Society for The main objectives of these seminars ment who are interested in African- International Development (SID), the are: European affairs, and who like to be Slovenian EU Presidency Seminar in • To keep African priorities, in the briefed on AWEPA’s programmes and/or Brussels on ‘The Role of New EU Member context of NEPAD/MDGs, on the participate in these programmes. States in EU-Africa Development Policy’ in political agenda of the EU and the EU By enabling existing and new sections to light of the Paris Declaration on Aid member states perform advocacy and support functions Effectiveness. For more information see • To promote partnerships between in an effective and efficient way, AWEPA website: European and African (members of) can help to develop a more prospective, http://www.awepa.org/projects/slovenian- parliaments to strengthen strong coherent and visible European eu-presidency-seminar-on-africa-- parliamentary democracies development policy towards Africa. 27-28-february-2008_en.html • To promote dialogue and networking High on AWEPA’s agenda in Europe are for parliamentarians from Africa with the following topics: he results of both the Portuguese and each other and with their colleagues • HIV/AIDS with a special focus on TSlovenian seminars will be taken for- from Europe to exchange experiences Orphans and Vulnerable Children ward to upcoming AWEPA regional and and stimulate action to achieve the (OVC) international parliamentary activities on aid MDGs • NEPAD related themes, such as effectiveness in Africa, and the 3rd High The EU Presidency Seminar in Lisbon, Agriculture and Climate Change Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness in Accra Portugal was an activity funded by • The Paris Declaration and Parliamentary in September 2008. • Portugal (IPAD) and part of the the Tracking of ODA. • AWEPA programme “Mobilising Parliamentarians for NEPAD” under the sub-programme “Mobilising European Parliamentary Action to Support NEPAD More information in Europe” funded by (SIDA) and See the ‘Projects’ section on www.awepa.org for seminar information in English and (DANIDA). • French including the recommendations, working group reports, speeches, participants list and programme.

AWEPA thanks the Portuguese, Swedish and Danish governments for their support of the seminar. Text Tatjana van den Ham Assembly of the Republic of Portugal Editing Jeff Balch, Ilona Kaandorp, Sophia Dawkins Palacio de S. Bento Photos Portuguese Parliament 1249-068 Lisbon, Portugal Design Lena Shafir, www.shafir-etcetera.com Tel +351 21 3919000 Fax +351 21 3917495 Printing Jubels bv E-mail: [email protected] http://www.parlamento.pt AWEPA International Office Prins Hendrikkade 48 -G 1012 AC Amsterdam, The Tel +31 20 5245678 Fax +31 20 6220130 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.awepa.org © AWEPA, 2008