14Th EU-Africa Ministerial Troika / The African Group Converges at the AU Office in Brussels to Consult in Preparation of the Joint EU-Africa Expert meeting
BRUSSELS, Kingdom of Belgium, April 26, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The African delegation, made up of some officials from the African Union Commission (AUC) and some representatives of African Union (AU) Member States, met on 23rd April 2010 in the AU office at Rue Moliere, Brussels, to consult ahead of the Joint EU-Africa Experts meeting scheduled for the same day, at the European Union Council. The Joint Expert meeting is expected to prepare the 14th Ministerial Troika to take place on 26 April 2010, in Luxemburg.
The African group meeting at the AU Brussels office was chaired by Dr. René Kouassi, Director of Political Affairs of the AUC, in the presence of Ambassador Mahamat Annadif, Permanent Representative of the AU to Brussels; Mr. Aboubakari Baba Moussa, AU Director for Infrastructure and Energy; and Ambassador Emile Ognimba , AU Director for Political Affairs.
During the meeting, the group agreed to speak with one voice while taking into consideration the preoccupation of all the AU Member States. Each Member State took the floor to express their interest and expectation with respect to the agenda of the 14th Ministerial Troika. They also exchanged views on the way forward with regard to the implementation of the joint EU-Africa partnership.
The Africa Group cross-checked the joint documents to be discussed during the EU-Africa Expert meeting to ensure that the interests of both parties are reflected, as stipulated in the Decision of the Permanent Representatives Committee (PRC) that took place at the headquarters of the AU in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The PRC document underlines that adequate steps should be taken to ensure coordination and coherence among projects/activities at all three levels (continental, regional and national levels). “These should align with African priorities, have clear added value and the principles of comparative advantage, subsidiarity and complementarity”.
It was agreed in this African Group consultation meeting that the Ambassador of Malawi to the EU, Mrs. Brave Ndisale, will co-chair the Joint EU-Africa Troika Expert meeting for the African side, given that Malawi is the current chair of the African Union.
SOURCE
African Union Commission (AUC)
