"The courage to dream, the determination to act: a new partnership for Europe and Africa" - Speech by EU Commission President Barroso

Summary: 3 July 2007, Accra - Speech by José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, at the African Union Summit

Your Excellencies,
Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to start by thanking you for giving me the honour of addressing this 9th Summit of the African Union.

It is particular pleasure to be speaking in Ghana, given that this year is a year of 50th anniversaries; for Ghana, and for the European Union.

Fifty years ago, Europe's founding fathers dared to dream. They dared to take on the challenge of unifying a continent exhausted by war and division.

One statesman said: 'The task ahead is great indeed, and heavy is the responsibility; and yet it is a noble and glorious challenge - a challenge which calls for the courage to dream, the courage to believe, the courage to dare, the courage to do…'

Except that was no European statesman.

It was Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana.

Like the founding fathers of Europe, he too understood the importance of uniting a continent. He too saw that unity was the best way to secure peace, strength and prosperity for millions of people.

So this is a tale of two unions. Two unions with a shared past, and a shared outlook on the future.

I commend the Africa Union for initiating this historic debate on the future governance of Africa. I know it is not easy. It is not easy in Europe either. But it is worth the effort.

The European Union's commitment to Africa is deep. Historically, this commitment was expressed through development aid. Collectively, the European Union is the greatest provider of aid worldwide, and our aid commitments keep rising; up to nearly €50 billion last year, or around 100 euros per person. I will keep holding EU leaders to account for their promises, as I did in the G8 Summit last month. Development assistance is essential to help African countries meet the key Millennium Development Goal of halving extreme poverty by 2015.

But there cannot be, there should not be, an EU-Africa relationship which is based on aid alone. We need a partnership. A partnership of respect, and of opportunity.

Before I develop the idea of partnership, let me say a word about trade. Trade is the engine for growth. It has already lifted millions of people out of poverty in the world. We must ensure it can continue to do so. So we need to reverse the trend which has seen sub-Saharan Africa's share of world trade fall from 3% in 1950 to less than 1% today.

It is estimated that a 1% increase in Africa's share of global trade would deliver four or five times more income every year than the continent currently receives in aid.

Already Europe imports more agricultural goods from the developing world than the rest of the G8 - the United States, Japan, Russia, Canada - plus Australia, plus New Zealand, combined.

But the European Commission is proposing to go further;

- First, duty and quota free access to our market for all African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

- Second, phase out all export subsidies for agricultural products in the Doha Round.

- Third, free the dynamism of our entrepreneurs; attract new investment; and build strong regional markets that can compete with the best in the world.

The Economic Partnership Agreements that the EU is currently negotiating with the ACP regions are a central part of this. They will turn our trading relationship into a healthy, diversified partnership anchored in the global trading system.

Increased opportunities for Africa to trade with Europe must be matched by increased support from Europe to enable African countries to make the most of these opportunities. That is why I made a commitment at the G8 Summit in 2005 to increase the European Community support for aid for trade to 1 billion euros per year. And why we have proposed an EU-Africa Partnership on Infrastructure, worth €5.6 billion, which will help African goods get to European markets.

Collectively, we must provide leadership and political will to ensure that the EPA negotiations are completed by the start of next year. Failure would lead to economic and legal uncertainty. No alternative to Economic Partnership Agreements offers such a pro-development outcome.

Let me turn to the key issue; the construction of a political partnership between Europe and Africa. I am personally committed to this, as is Commissioner Louis Michel - a great friend of Africa in Europe.

The dialogue between the European Union and Africa Union is central to the new partnership. That is why last October the European Commission met outside Europe for the first time ever, for a joint meeting with the African Commission in Addis Ababa. It was a potent symbol of our growing institutional, financial and political partnership.

Our cooperation must continue. The next six months will be critical in establishing a partnership which responds to future challenges, based on the world of today and tomorrow, not yesterday.

Ladies and gentlemen,

We have already achieved a lot together. But this is only a first step. Like President Nkrumah and the founding fathers of Europe, I also dream of a more peaceful and more prosperous future.

That is the promise held out by the Joint EU-Africa Strategy - a partnership between our two continents.

- A partnership that strengthens our political relationship;

- A partnership which focuses on the new agenda; global issues, such as climate change, energy, migration and effective multilateralism;

- A partnership not just for political leaders, but for people. A broad network of people-to-people contacts between the EU and Africa at all levels and in all areas.

That partnership is the prize which we must seize at the EU-Africa Summit in December.

Both Europe and Africa need this Summit. It can be one of the most significant events of 2007. I welcome the priority which the Portuguese Presidency, and in particular Prime Minister Socrates, is giving to this. It must launch a process, not a one-off event. That is why I would like to use this platform today to call for an EU-Africa Summit every two years, alternating between the two continents.

There are plenty of new challenges we must face together

Underpinning them all is the need for sustainable growth. Europe will remain a faithful partner in encouraging growth and prosperity across all Africa.

Democratic governance is crucial to this. Sound governance is essential to lasting growth. It is an integral part of both the EU's and AU's core values. At the same time, a completely new pan-African governance architecture is being put in place. So it makes sense both to take stock of progress made and decide about the way forward.

Next, energy security, energy access and climate change. These are not theoretical problems. They are real, with a direct impact on our citizens.

An energy partnership would allow Africa and Europe to share knowledge and experience, develop common policy answers and actions to addresses the energy challenges of the 21st century.

Linked to this, an alliance on climate change could support: adapting to the effects of climate change; reducing the risk of natural disasters; halting deforestation while preserving the livelihood of those dependent on forests; and promoting beneficial participation in the global carbon market.

Our interdependence was brought home to me last week, when I visited Greenland. It seems a long way from Accra. But the melting of ice there has a direct impact on the lives of millions of Africans living by the sea, whose livelihoods are threatened by rising sea levels. The consequences of climate change are felt most by those who can least afford it.

Migration and mobility are another challenge. They are complex issues that can have tragic, as well as positive, outcomes. We cannot, we will not stop migration. We need to work together to ensure that it benefits both the European Union and Africa. Migration should be a source of prosperity for both country of origin and country of destination, not a human tragedy.

Finally, all this must be supported by peace and security. Through the African peace facility, Europe has led the support for the Africa Union's work to establish a peace and security architecture; you can count on our continued support.

Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

The relationship between Africa and Europe is far too rich and multi-layered to be pinned down in one speech.

But just as events in 1957 saw idealists on both continents dream of a better future, so the EU-Africa Summit of 2007 gives us the chance not only to dream together of a better future for all of us, but to show the political will to achieve it. A future as equals. A future where we tackle global problems together. A future where the hopes and needs of our citizens come first.

We must back up the dream with pragmatic, concrete action. That is our job, as leaders. Let us get to work.

Thank you.

Ref: SP07-165EN
EU source: European Commission
UN forum:
Date: 3/7/2007

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