Lisbon Summit: Europe’s chance to forge a true partnership with Africa
- Five EU states drag down Europe's aid record
- EPAs row shows Europe is not taking Africa's trade needs seriously
12.06.07
The European Union ‘talks the talk' about partnership with Africa, but on two vital indicators - aid and trade - EU words are not being matched with action.
On aid commitments to Africa, the EU is being let down by five leading member states that are not keeping their promises.
On trade, the troubled negotiations over Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) show that the EU is still a long way from putting Africa's economic development needs at the centre of the debate.
AID
Ahead of this weekend's EU-AU summit in Lisbon, Africa advocacy group DATA has released an updated analysis of the EU's aid performance (attached). In summary:
- Sweden, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Denmark are among the most generous countries on the planet and already comfortably exceed EU and UN goals on financing for development. Belgium, Ireland, Finland, Germany, Spain and the United Kingdom are making real efforts to increase their development assistance.
- However Austria, France, Greece, Italy and Portugal are making little or no real effort to keep their promises to increase development assistance globally and to Africa.
DATA's European Director Oliver Buston said: "Aid is not the answer to all Africa's needs, but well-targeted donor funds are helping to lay the foundations for sustainable growth.
"Real progress is being made in fighting malaria and AIDS, getting children into school and improving governance. Healthy, educated people and good governance are the building blocks for fighting poverty in Africa, and that is in all our interests.
"Austria, France, Greece, Italy and Portugal are being extremely short-sighted by refusing to make substantial increases to their aid budgets as promised. In Africa they are also compromising EU credibility - while China's influence and investments soar."
TRADE
Recent controversy over trade agreements between the EU and African states (Economic Partnership Agreements or EPAs) shows that Europe is yet to open itself to a true partnership with Africa.
EPAs set terms for both sides, concentrating so far on market access. A number of African states have refused to sign them. Others have reluctantly initialled interim agreements under pressure to meet EU deadlines and to avoid increases in tariffs.
Oliver Buston said: "Europe is not taking Africa's trade needs seriously enough. It is absurd that it is easier for a textile producer in Lesotho to export to the USA than to Europe. Europe needs to walk the walk on partnership, not just talk the talk."
DATA's proposal for an African Trade Initiative (released 29 Nov, see attached) proposes the following:
- Boost African access to EU markets by giving duty and quota free access to all sub-Saharan African countries, not only LDCs.
- Streamline rules of origin requirements, specifically by setting the African value component of all goods at 10% as recommended by the World Bank and Commission for Africa.
- Abolish developed country export and farm subsidies, giving priority to those that have the greatest impact on Africa's ability to compete - such as cotton, rice, fruits and vegetables.
- Scale up ‘aid for trade' funding with particular focus on Africa's export challenges
- Encourage and support development of intra-regional trade.
- Allow African countries, not Brussels or Washington, to set the pace of their own countries' market liberalisation.
READ MORE
Is Europe Keeping its Promise on Deveopment Assistance to Africa? 12.06
The DATA Trade Initiative 11.07
DATA contacts in Lisbon for the EU-AU Summit:
Katy Cronin, DATA Media Manager +44 7788 710 789
Oliver Buston, DATA European Director + 44 7963 288 446
