Africa-EU relations

To make the summit a success strong leadership will be needed on both sides of the partnership to square up to the elephants in the room, sorting out the differences to get on with making the EU-Africa relationship a success. There needs to be a fundamental change in the mentalities and mind-set of both parties to shape the inter-continental relationship and its time for the influential African and European leaders to stand up and to make this work! Rebuilding Confidence and Commitment The heads of state of both continents will meet for their 4th summit ...

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+++ ECDPM Challenges blog series. Post number three  +++ Will 2014 be a year of implementation? If 2014 is to be a year in which we see genuine moves towards economic transformation it will likely rely less on the international agenda than domestic politics and how these interact with global economic processes. Economic transformation will only take place when governments and the private sector can align interests to make partnerships work. Otherwise, we are unlikely to see much progress in 2014. We have a busy agenda ahead of us…. On-going discussions on the post-2015 agenda will offer opportunities ...

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Agenda: http://www.ecdpm.org/ettg2013 Background blogs and insight: http://www.africaeu2014.blogspot.be/ Tweets about “#AfricaEU2014″

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+++ ECDPM Challenges blog series. Post number one  +++  The negotiations on the next post-2015 international development framework will not be easy. This time around there is a lot of interest and many different voices need to be heard. An inclusive process that promotes ownership are seen as key to success.  A major challenge is therefore to get as much preparatory work done as possible before the negotiations start in earnest. Over the year ahead the debate will continue to gain pace.  Given the success of the Millennium Development Goals in mobilizing international efforts on ...

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+++ Introducing the ECDPM Challenges blog series.  +++ Over the next seven weeks ECDPM will share its thoughts on the major challenges ahead in 2014 for Africa - EU relations. With a specific thematic approach each week, our programmes will analyse and evaluate the progress that can be made in the coming year, and what obstacles may lay ahead for policy makers as they work towards effective international development cooperation. The next few years will be crucial in shaping EU-Africa relations. What will be on the minds of the leaders from across Africa, the EU institutions and ...

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Transcription: Même si il ya maintenant un nouveau président au Mali suite à un processus electoral organisé en hâte, , le développement , la gouvernance et la sécurité dans la région de l’Afrique du Nord -Ouest , une région également appelée le Sahel ( nous parlons de personnes qui vivent au Mali, Mauritanie, Algérie, Niger, Burkina Faso, Libye, le Tchad , mais aussi des pays voisins) est toujours un sujet de préoccupation pour les décideurs politiques africains et européens. Question 1: Pourquoi le Sahel est-il important pour les relations Afrique -Europe ? En fait, il ...

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Transcript In the wider context of the discussion of EU-Africa relations and ahead of both the European Think Tanks Group conference and the EU-Africa summit it 2014 we asked some people at ECDPM what they thought were challenges for EU-Africa relations. Dr James Mackie, senior advisor on EU development policy: I think EU-Africa relations can be frustrating in that they… take time. That’s not just because the political processes are slow and there are a lot of actors involved etc. But the protagonists on both sides are quite demanding of each other. The Europeans tend ...

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We want to know what you think are the important topics on the lead up to the EU-Africa Summit 2014 in April. In early September we will be setting up an external webpage, which will provide a space for debates and discussions around all the key issues on the run up to the Summit. We want as many voices as possible and that’s where you come in. Blog guidelines The blogs need to be no more than 800 words. They can cover any topic you like as long as it is relevant to Africa Europe ...

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This interview was filmed on the fringes of an informal high-level seminar on post 2015 and beyond 2020: What new perspectives for Africa-EU and ACP-EU relations? Vervaeke, Director for Horn of Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean for the European External Action Service in Brussels, says that a contractual engagement such as with the ACP is an important lesson for improving the political relationship between EU and Africa. He answers questions about how an economic crisis in Europe impacts on the relationship, as well as how to deal with emerging economies, adding that “Africa ...

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Paul Engel, Director of ECDPM, gives his thoughts on the relationship between Europe and the world. It is very much up for debate, and Paul explains why it is important to adapt and understand how this effects the way we work in international cooperation. The transcript is below. The clip is taken from an interview explaining how ECDPM works and what it does. You can watch the video about the organisation. TRANSCRIPT: The relationship between Europe and the world has changed a lot over the past 10-20 years. Twenty years ago we could still think ...

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