Towards a Stronger Africa-EU Cooperation on Peace and Security: The Role of African Regional Organizations and Civil Society

The Joint Africa-European Union Strategy, adopted at the Lisbon Summit in December 2007, was intended to overcome an unequal partnership between the African and European continents by establishing a framework of cooperation based on shared values and common objectives. However, in the first implementation phase it became clear that these conditions were far from being fully realized. In particular, the Partnership on Peace and Security has shown a tendency to institutionalize dialogue and crystallize practices of cooperation along the well-established Brussels-Addis Ababa axis, while efforts to engage with other crucial actors remain to some extent limited. This paper focuses on the sub-optimal involvement of two crucial stakeholders, namely African regional organizations and civil society actors. It presents the main findings and policy recommendations of a study concluded by IAI in September 2012, with the support of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) and the European Parliament.

Paper presented at the international seminar on "Promoting peace and security in Africa. Lessons learned from Mozambique", Rome, 17 October 2012. Presents the main findings and policy recommendations of a study concluded by IAI in September 2012 and published as IAI Research Papers 6. Produced within the framework of the project "Strengthening the Africa-EU partnership on peace and security: how to engage African regional organisations and civil society", commissioned by the Brussels-based Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS), with the support of the European Parliament.