Summary: 6 April 2009, Brussels - Council of the European Union Decision on the conclusion of consultations with Mauritania under Article 96 of the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement
Following the seizure of power by the military on 6 August 2008, the European Union condemned the coup d'état and repeatedly called on Mauritania to respect democracy and the legal institutional framework that had been in place since 2007. In application of Article 96 of the ACP EC Agreement, and as the coup constituted a serious violation of essential elements of that Agreement, the European Union initiated consultations with the Islamic Republic of Mauritania on 20 October 2008.
When consultations were launched, the European Union suspended cooperation with Mauritania as a precautionary measure, with the exception of ongoing contracts, humanitarian aid and direct aid to the population.
During the consultations, the representatives of the ruling military junta failed to present satisfactory proposals or commitments. Despite an extension to the deadline and subsequent consultations and missions within the framework of the international contact group on Mauritania, no satisfactory proposal was forthcoming from the ruling power, in particular as regards a consensual solution to the crisis between the Mauritanian parties and a return to constitutional order.
The Council therefore decided to conclude the consultations and to forward to the military junta a letter signed jointly by the Presidency of the Council and the European Commission, presenting a series of appropriate measures the ultimate purpose of which is, as stated in the Cotonou Agreement, to remedy the situation. The appropriate measures make the gradual resumption of cooperation conditional upon progress towards a return to constitutional order on the basis of the definition and
subsequent implementation of a consensual solution to the crisis by all the Mauritanian parties.
The Decision will be valid for 24 months, with regular monitoring missions. The appropriate measures, as envisaged in the Cotonou Agreement, do not close the door to political dialogue between the EU and the Mauritanian parties. On the contrary, the ultimate aim is for a dialogue to be established among the principal Mauritanian political actors to define and implement a consensual solution to the crisis, while respecting democratic principles and the rule of law. Without a consensus and a
return to constitutional order, there is no possibility of any substantial resumption of EU-Mauritanian cooperation.
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