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ECDPM's Weekly Compass update

European Centre for Development Policy Management Weekly Newsletter
8 July 2016
 
Melissa Julian
Head of Communications 
mj@ecdpm.org


 
Dear <<First name>>,
 

This week’s Editor’s Pick highlights the African Union Commission’s report, to be distributed to Heads of Government at the African Union Summit next week, on the future of ACP-EU relations and the role for the African Union.

Our Policy News items feature a new ECDPM Briefing Note on reframing the discussion on culture in EU development policies and external action, the latest “What’s in it for Africa” programme, and a paper from the German Development Institute analysing the EU action so far in implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Read further for details and other news and events. And follow us on Twitter for daily news updates @ECDPM and @MJulianECDPM.

All the best,

Melissa



 

Editor's Pick 

 

The future of ACP-EU relations: What role for the African Union?
The African Union Commission has published a report, to be distributed to Heads of Government at the African Union Summit next week, of their December 2015 Fridays of the Commission debate (organised in cooperation with ECDPM and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation) that explored options for ACP-EU relations after the current Cotonou Agreement expires in 2020. The Bulletin presents the conclusions from the meeting which took into account the rapidly changing global and African contexts including the emergence of the African Union, as the leading pan-African institution, and the growing role of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs). It also includes articles by senior AUC officials and African experts on whether the current ACP-EU partnership is still relevant from a political economy perspective in dealing with the global challenges and possible alternative frameworks that could deal with Africa’s interests and the partnership with Europe beyond 2020. It includes an article from ECDPM’s Geert Laporte on the need to go beyond business as usual.

 

Policy News 

Photo: Street art in Maboneng, Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa; courtesy of Adamina via Flickr.

Culture in EU development policies and external action: Reframing the discussion
Culture permeates many pivotal political agendas. At European level, EU institutions are working towards a strategy on international cultural relations. At global level, the relation between culture and development is addressed in several Sustainable Development Goals’ targets and in an increasing developed body of research. This ECDPM Briefing Note casts light upon culture in EU development policies and external action, reviewing discussions around this topic and opening the floor for questions. With the Sustainable Development Goals and new EU strategies in place, how will culture and development objectives meet in practice?

 

Latest “What’s in it for Africa” programme
The July update covers Brexit, the EU draft budget for 2017, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Agreement,  and conflict minerals.  ECDPM's Tarila Ebiede talks about what's coming up in EU-Africa relations in July.

 

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the EU and its Member States: analysis and action so far
The German Development Institute explores how the EU and its Member States are getting ready for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and takes stock of the activities undertaken so far. With an analysis of existing ‘gap analyses’, it points to areas in which the EU and its Member States are facing specific challenges, where the need for action is comparably large in domestic and external policies and/or where there are significant knock-on effects. It argues that the translation of the universal SDGs into a national and regional/EU context should be pursued in three parallel tracks: domestic (domestic policies with domestic impacts); domestic-external (domestic policies with external impacts); external (external policies with external impacts), taking into account feedback loops and impacts of global megatrends.

 

Other News

- Several new analysis on the impact of the Brexit on Africa were produced this week:
- Brexit will be terrible for Africa’s largest economies
- Which African countries export the most to the UK?
- Brexit reignites UK-Africa conversation
- What's the likely impact of Brexit on development, aid
- Brexit impact on trade between South Africa, UK seen minimal.
- New trade agreements between the UK and Kenya must be negotiated timeously.
- Less aid money, less influence: Brexit’s likely hit to the UK's development role
- Less aid, less influence due to Brexit?
- ODI Briefing on Brexit and developing countries.
- NEPAD Secretary General Mayaki: Brexit or no Brexit? Les conséquences pour l’Afrique  
- A report from NKC African Economics “Africa - Mapping out the impact of surprise Brexit vote”.
- ACP warnings following Brexit

- The European Commission published an evaluation of EU strategies and interventions in support to the transport sector in Africa over 2005-2013. The focus is on the road sub-sector, including the provision of infrastructure, its operation and maintenance, as well as institutional strengthening and regulatory activities supported by the EU.

- The UN Secretary General urged EU leaders to act with ‘compassion and foresight’ on migration and refugee issues.

- The Egmont Institute published “The EU Global Strategy: Realpolitik with European Characteristics” considering whether the strategy gives us something to work with to render EU foreign and security policy more effective. They also published “The EU Global Strategy: from effective multilateralism to global governance that works?”

- Carnegie Europe published several analytical comments on the EU Global Strategy:
- The EU Global Strategy, a Triumph of Hope Over Experience
- Resilience as the Guiding Principle of EU External Action
- The EU Global Strategy and Defense: Ambitious but Credible?
- The EU Global Strategy in the Shadow of Brexit

- The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS) published a paper “The political economy of global and regional agro-food system change - Key questions and issues”

- The Food and Agriculture Organisation published “Has ten-year implementation of the regional agriculture policy of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAP) contributed to improve Nutrition?” The  assessment represents an opportunity to reinforce nutrition priorities which may not have been fully captured and addressed in the first version of the ECOWAP.

- ITUC published  “The development effectiveness of supporting the private sector with Offical Development Assistance funds”.

- Most Europeans think the economy is declining, Muslims are a threat to their country and the EU is not handling the migration crisis well. Those are the top findings of a survey of 28,000 Europeans conducted by center-right Hungarian think tank Századvég Foundation

 

For more, and breaking news daily, follow us on Twitter
@ECDPM and @MJulianECDPM


 


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Recent events

Four files will be on Slovakia's agenda for its EU Presidency in relation to migration: 1) EU border and coast guard, 2) the "smart borders" project, 3) the migrant return policy and 4) reform of the Dublin asylum system. The last issue will be the thorniest for the Slovak presidency because it involves the refugee relocation scheme which it staunchly opposes.

The European Commission and High Representative put forward today a Joint Communication on security sector reform and a legislative proposal to foster security and sustainable development in partner countries by providing more effective assistance to all security sector actors. Amendment could allow spending on military equipment and training to Africa and the Middle East.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the establishment of a European Border and Coast Guard to ensure a European integrated border management at the external borders.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on refugees: social inclusion and integration into the labour market stressing the need for the EU to base its immediate response to the situation on solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on a new forward-looking and innovative future strategy for trade and investment calling on the EC to regularly update its trade and investment strategy every two years.

The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the fight against trafficking in human beings in the EU’s external relations encouraging the EU to develop a new post-2016 anti-trafficking strategy with a stronger and more targeted external dimension.

EU humanitarian aid to refugees from conflicts in the African Great Lakes area is responding to the challenges faced but may be costing too much to deliver, according to a new report from the European Court of Auditors.

Upcoming events

On Monday, On 11 July, the European Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee will hold a workshop on the Mid term revision of the EU’s financial regulation. Watch live or recording after.

In its meeting of Monday and Tuesday, European Parliament Development Committee Members will hear about the priorities of the Slovak EU Council presidency, discuss a report on the future ACP-EU partnership and debate the Commission's most recent proposals on migration and forced displacements, including the 'migration compacts' with African countries. It will also discuss the EU's potential to improve governance in partner countries and hold a hearing on transparency in the management of financial and natural resources in developing countries. Watch live or recording after.

The European Parliament’s Trade Committee will hold a joint hearing on 13 July on human rights provisions in Economic Partnership Agreements in light of the expiry of the Cotonou Agreement in 2020. They will also have a hearing on Africa Rising? Trade policy responses to sustainable growth challenges. The Slovak Presidency will present its trade priorities to the committee on 14 July. Watch live or recording after.

On 13 July the European Parliament’s Budgetary Control Committee will hold an exchange of views with Dimitris Avramopoulos (Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship) on the state of play of the financing and the implementation of the measures taken by the Union in the context of the migration crisis. Watch live or recording after.

The European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights and Development Committee will hold a hearing on 13 July on the shrinking space for civil society. Watch live or recording after.

On 13 July the European Parliament’s Security and  Defense Subcommittee will have an exchange of views with the EEAS on Mali: security situation and current and future EU. Watch live or recording after.

The African Union Summit will take place next week. The theme of the summit is “Year of Human Rights, with a particular focus on the Rights of Women”. The meeting will elect new Commissioners and Judges for the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Chairperson and the Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission. Oxfam Addis, the Institute for Security Studies Africa, and Solomon Dersso write on the elections at the African Union Leadership.

The Fourth High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), convening under the auspices of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), will take place on 11-15 July 2016, followed by a three-day ministerial meeting of the Forum on 18-20 July 2016. The HLPF is the body tasked in the 2030 Outcome Document with driving delivery of the SDGs and will be underpinned with voluntary reports on the national level based on national monitoring frameworks.The theme of the 2016 session will be 'Ensuring that no one is left behind'.  Any organisation or person can participate in HLPF through the major groups and other stakeholders format. All stakeholders are also invited to organize side events,and register multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments in support of the SDGs.

The Global Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation Steering Committee meeting will be held on 14-15 July.

On 13 July, a panel of experts hosted by ODI will discuss how capital flows could best be managed, and what lessons might be offered from previous experiences in Africa and other emerging economies. More broadly, they discuss how domestic financial systems could be structured and regulated to achieve inclusive growth and financial stability.  Meeting will be livestreamed.

Events attended or organised by ECDPM

ECDPM’s Sebastian Große-Puppendahl made a presentation on “The EIB’s innovative role in the ACP under Cotonou: Options beyond 2020”, based on an ECDPM study to be released next week, to ACP Ambassadors Day at the European Investment Bank today.


Publisher: The Weekly Compass is produced by ECDPM with financial resources provided by our core and institutional funders: The Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Luxemburg, Portugal, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland.

Editor-in-Chief: 
Melissa Julian

Head of Communications,
e-mail: mj@ecdpm.org

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