2007 Africa-EU Summit

The Africa-EU Summit, which was held on 8 December – 9 December 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal, was the second summit between heads of state and government from EU and Africa (the first having been held in Cairo in 2000). It was hosted by Portugal, the holder of the EU's rotating presidency. During the summit, the "Joint EU-Africa Strategy" [ [http://www.eu2007.pt/NR/rdonlyres/D449546C-BF42-4CB3-B566-407591845C43/0/071206jsapenlogos_formatado.pdf The Africa-EU Strategic Parnership: A Joint Africa-EU Strategy] ] , the "Action Plan" and the "Lisbon Declaration" [ [http://www.eu2007.pt/NR/rdonlyres/BAC34848-05CC-45E9-8F1D-8E2663079609/0/20071208LISBONDeclaration_EN.pdf Lisbon Declaration - EU Africa Summit] ] were adopted [ [http://europafrica.org/2007/12/09/joint-strategy-adopted-at-summit/ Joint EU-Africa Strategy adopted at Summit] , "EU-Africa consultation", 9 December 2007] .

There was controversy about the attendance of Robert Mugabe, the President of Zimbabwe, as he is subject to an EU travel ban. The European Commission president, José Manuel Barroso, defended inviting Mugabe to attend, saying that "If international leaders decided not to go to those conferences involving countries which do not have reasonable human rights records, I'm afraid we would not be attending many conferences at all." [ [http://news.independent.co.uk/world/politics/article3231228.ece Barroso defends decision to invite Mugabe to conference] , "The Independent", 7 December 2007] Because of Mugabe's attendance, Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the UK stayed away, and United Kingdom was represented by Baroness Amos. Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek of the Czech Republic also stayed away for the same reason.

Issues and results of the summit

The summit agreed on a strategic partnership and an action plan and agreed to meet again in 2010.

The existing preferential trade agreements between the EU and the ACP countries would not be compatible with WTO rules, except for a waiver which terminated at the end of 2007, and it had been hoped to replace these arrangements by WTO-compatible Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), but these were rejected by the African delegations.cite news | first = Axel | last = Bugge | coauthors = Henrique Almeida | title = Ambitious EU-Africa summit ends in trade deadlock | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/feedarticle?id=7139035 | work = Guardian Unlimited | date = 2007-12-09 | accessdate = 2007-12-09 ]

Differences on human rights centered on Zimbabwe and its president, Robert Mugabe, as well as the Darfur conflict. [cite news | author = Associated Press | title = Europe, Africa summit brings little progress on key issues| url = http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/12/09/europe/EU-GEN-EU-Africa-Summit.php | work = International Herald Tribune | date = 2007-12-09 | accessdate = 2007-12-09 ]

Countries at the summit

flagicon|European Union European Union

*flagcountry|Austria
*flagcountry|Belgium
*flagcountry|Bulgaria
*flagcountry|Cyprus
*flagcountry|Czech Republic
*flagcountry|Denmark
*flagcountry|Estonia
*flagcountry|Finland
*flagcountry|France
*flagcountry|Germany
*flagcountry|Greece
*flagcountry|Hungary
*flagcountry|Ireland
*flagcountry|Italy
*flagcountry|Latvia
*flagcountry|Lithuania
*flagcountry|Luxembourg
*flagcountry|Malta
*flagcountry|Netherlands
*flagcountry|Poland
*flagcountry|Portugal
*flagcountry|Romania
*flagcountry|Slovakia
*flagcountry|Slovenia
*flagcountry|Spain
*flagcountry|Sweden
*flagcountry|United Kingdom

flagicon|African Union African Union

*flagcountry|Algeria
*flagcountry|Angola
*flagcountry|Benin
*flagcountry|Botswana
*flagcountry|Burkina Faso
*flagcountry|Burundi
*flagcountry|Cameroon
*flagcountry|Cape Verde
*flagcountry|Central African Republic
*flagcountry|Chad
*flagcountry|Comoros
*flagcountry|Democratic Republic of the Congo|name=Dem. Rep. of the Congo
*flagcountry|Republic of the Congo|name=Rep. of the Congo
*flagcountry|Côte d'Ivoire
*flagcountry|Djibouti
*flagcountry|Egypt
*flagcountry|Equatorial Guinea
*flagcountry|Eritrea
*flagcountry|Ethiopia
*flagcountry|Gabon
*flagcountry|Gambia
*flagcountry|Ghana
*flagcountry|Guinea
*flagcountry|Guinea-Bissau
*flagcountry|Kenya
*flagcountry|Lesotho
*flagcountry|Liberia
*flagcountry|Libya
*flagcountry|Madagascar
*flagcountry|Malawi
*flagcountry|Mali
*flagcountry|Mauritania
*flagcountry|Mauritius
*flagcountry|Mozambique
*flagcountry|Namibia
*flagcountry|Niger
*flagcountry|Nigeria
*flagcountry|Rwanda
*flagcountry|SADR
*flagcountry|São Tomé and Príncipe
*flagcountry|Senegal
*flagcountry|Seychelles
*flagcountry|Sierra Leone
*flagcountry|Somalia
*flagcountry|South Africa
*flagcountry|Sudan
*flagcountry|Swaziland
*flagcountry|Tanzania
*flagcountry|Togo
*flagcountry|Tunisia
*flagcountry|Uganda
*flagcountry|Zambia
*flagcountry|Zimbabwe

Observers

Parliaments

*European Parliament
*Pan-African Parliament

EU candidate countries

*flagcountry| Turkey
*flagcountry| Croatia
*flagcountry| Republic of Macedonia

Other countries

*flagcountry| Norway
*flagcountry| Canada
*flagcountry| Japan
*flagcountry| Russia
*flagcountry| China
*flagcountry| India
*flagcountry| Brazil
*flagcountry| Switzerland
*flagcountry| Iceland
*flagcountry| Liechtenstein
*flagcountry| Morocco

International organizations

*UNHCR
*African Development Bank
*UNAIDS
*FAO
*Arab League

ee also

*Foreign relations of the African Union
*Foreign relations of the European Union

References

* [http://europafrica.org EuropAfrica Towards Lisbon 2007]

External links

* [http://www.eu2007.pt/UE/vEN/Reunioes_Eventos/ChefesEstado/EUAfrica.htm Official summit Web site]
* [http://www.eu2007.pt/NR/rdonlyres/BAC34848-05CC-45E9-8F1D-8E2663079609/0/20071208LISBONDeclaration_EN.pdf The Lisbon Declaration (pdf)]
* [http://www.eu2007.pt/NR/rdonlyres/D449546C-BF42-4CB3-B566-407591845C43/0/071206jsapenlogos_formatado.pdf The Africa-EU Strategic Partnership: Joint Africa-EU Strategy and Action Plan (pdf)]