The Joint Africa - EU Strategy was adopted at the second EU-Africa Summit in December 2007 in Lisbon. At that occasion, a 3-year action plan structured around 8 partnerships was also adopted.

The 8 partnerships relate to peace and security; democratic governance and human rights; trade and regional integration; the millennium development goals; energy; climate change; migration, mobility and employment; science, information society and space.

Since the start of the European Union – African Union dialogue process that led to the adoption of the Joint Strategic Partnership, APRODEV  has been active in informing its members and their partners and encouraging them to take part in this people centered partnership. At the same time, together with other CONCORD members, APRODEV facilitated the setting up at European level of a civil society steering group on the strategy and engaged in dialogue with counterparts on the African continent. Furthermore it was active in maintaining contacts and dialogue with EU institutions responsible for the implementation of the JAES as the contact point for the Partnership on Trade and Infrastructure.

With the objective of giving an opportunity for African churches to be heard and to influence the content and shaping of the EU-AU strategic partnership, APRODEV members supported a wide consultation process organised by the All Africa Conference of Churches (AACC) together with the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) on the whole African continent. The process ended with the adoption of the Statement of Churches on the EU-Africa-Strategy in November 2007. (French version)

Official website of the Joint Africa-EU strategy.

POSITION PAPERS

• CSO Submission to the Joint Africa EU Strategy – Partnership 3:Trade, Regional Integration and Infrastructure (Oct. 2010)
• CONCORD Statement on the review of the Joint Africa - EU Strategy (Feb. 2010) - in French
• APRODEV discussion paper on the Trade and Infrastructure Partnership (Nov. 2009)
• EU CSO SG: Proposal for CSO engagement in the JAES (July 2008)
• Christian Aid briefing on the EU Africa strategy: Human Rights and Accountable Governance (Nov. 2007)
• CONCORD Reference paper on the Challenges of a renewed EU-Africa Partnership (Oct. 2007)

BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS AND BRIEFINGS

• Joint Africa-EU Strategy, one year after (Nov. 2008)
• Background paper on the EU Africa strategy: the origin of the process (2007)