Date of release : 23-11-2004

Policy area : General Affairs and External Relations

Event : Informal Meeting of Defence Ministers

The Council approved an action plan aimed at supporting peace and security in Africa, and took note of a report on implementation of support measures to capacity building in Africa under European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP).

The action plan focuses on capacity building; planning support; disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of combatants; security sector reform and EU internal and external co-ordination. ESPD support to peace and security in Africa was developed after the Council's Political and Security Committee undertook to explore practical ways of implementing support to African organisations in building autonomous conflict prevention and management capacities, following the adoption of EU Common Position 2004/85/CFSP on the prevention, management and resolution of violent conflicts in Africa.

The Council also adopted the following conclusions:

"The Council recognises the primary responsibility of the UN Security Council and the role of international law as the framework for maintaining international peace and security. The EU and its Member States will continue to support UN actions in Africa, as already demonstrated in several crises in Africa, in particular in DRC.

The Council welcomes the will of African states to assume their responsibilities on their own continent and reaffirms its commitment to the principle of African ownership. In this context, the Council reconfirms its appreciation and strong support for the objective of the African Union (AU) and African subregional organisations to promote peace and security on the African continent. Peace and security is a pre-condition for achieving sustainable development.

The Council underlines the need for an intensified political dialogue and an enhanced partnership between the EU, the AU and the UN. The European Security and Defence Policy can support the AU, African subregional organizations and African States in their efforts to ensure a stable and secure Africa. In this context, the Council agreed on the Action Plan for ESDP-support to Peace and Security in Africa. This Action Plan identifies practical ways for implementing the support to African organisations in building autonomous conflict prevention and management capacities, with special attention to the AU. It primarily addresses issues of capacity building, and planning support and foresees support for actions in the field of Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration and Security Sector Reform.

The Council invites the AU and African Sub-regional organisations to take advantage of the support offered by the EU and to come forward with proposals for long-term capacity building. As internal co-ordination of EU efforts is crucial, the Council tasked the relevant Council bodies to urgently finalise the work on the institutional, legal, budgetary and procurement/storage aspects, and to inform the Council of the results at its next meeting.

The Council underlines that EU support for peace and security in Africa is part of a coherent EU policy towards Africa in which ESDP activities and the Peace Facility are combined with other instruments of the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Cotonou Agreement and with bilateral actions by Member States. This integrated, long term approach will include continuous attention for the vulnerable position of women and children and the increased risks of HIV/AIDS in armed conflict. The EU work will be based on the principle of full coordination with other actors in this field, i.e. the UN, the AU, subregional organisations, in order to ensure coherence and complementarity with bilateral initiatives and initiatives by, for example, the G8.

The Council notes with satisfaction that under the Peace Facility several requests of the AU have already been honoured. These include support for the mission of the AU AMIS in Sudan and the capacity building initiatives of the AU."