On 10 October 2024, the Africa-Europe Maritime Strategy Group published a report on how to support both continents to cooperate on maritime issues.
The Group was established by the European Commission in cooperation with the African Union Commission and is managed by the Africa-Europe Foundation with funding from the European Commission (European Maritime Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF)).
The report finds that despite the importance of the ocean to a blue planet and the lives of millions of people, and the urgent need for Africa and the European Union to leverage ocean governance, It was born out of the recognition that partnerships often lack ocean governance. Global action for the oceans.
Ahead of important milestones such as UNFCCC CoP 29, the 7th AU-EU Summit and the 3rd UN Ocean Conference, the report shows how Africa and Europe can strengthen cooperation on ocean-related issues. There is. This is even more important as the international community grapples with key processes affecting the oceans, such as ratifying and implementing the BBNJ Agreement, negotiating the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement and the Global Plastics Treaty.
Maroš Šefčović, Commissioner for the European Green Deal, Inter-institutional Relations and Foresight, said:
“I welcome this important report and would like to thank the Africa-Europe Maritime Strategy Group for producing it. I share the conviction articulated in the UN 2030 report that, given the need to accelerate, now is the time for Europe and Africa to further develop their cooperation on ocean-related issues. It’s on the agenda. Africa and Europe have a real opportunity and a collective responsibility to take concrete action here.”
Strengthening cooperation The report highlights areas where enhanced cooperation can be achieved in the Africa-Europe Maritime Partnership between the African Union and the European Union. Such a partnership might look like this:
Increase the level of mutual understanding and coordination of ocean priorities between Africa and Europe, increase the sharing of indigenous and modern knowledge and cutting-edge technologies between the two continents, and build collective momentum for ocean governance at the international level. I will increase it.
To support this partnership, the group has also developed an action plan called the Roadmap for Strengthening the Africa-Europe Maritime Partnership. It is structured around three priority areas:
Capacity sharing finance and investment in ocean governanceSeventeen main activities in these areas have been identified, given priority (high, medium, low) and categorized into more than 100 specific activities.
next step
The European Commission will analyze the recommendations proposed by the group and assess whether the proposed activities can be incorporated into the post-2025 work plan.
background
The report is in line with President-elect von der Leyen’s announcement that she would “give new impetus to the (EU’s) mutual partnership with Africa in the lead-up to the next (EU-AU) Summit in 2025.” It is something that This is also the culmination of a long journey that began in 2019, when the European Commission announced a new strategy between the EU and Africa. In order to translate the idea of a new partnership between the two continents on ocean governance, a study has been launched to provide an analysis of the feasibility and modalities of establishing an EU-Africa ‘Blue’ Task Force.
The methodology followed an evidence-based approach and it was essential to listen to European and African stakeholders. In 2023, the Africa-Europe Maritime Strategy Group was established, chaired by Pascal Lamy (France) and Ambassador Nancy Caligitu (Kenya). It was given two missions. The first is to define a common vision based on common priorities and objectives, and the second is to present a joint plan of action based on it. Extensive stakeholder consultation took place and a number of events and awareness-raising activities were organized. This group was run by the Africa-Europe Foundation through an EMFAF grant.
