EU-AFRICA BRUSSELS SUMMIT RESULTS

Priority area 4: Sustainable and inclusive development and growth and continental integration

Strategic objectives: Stimulate economic growth that reduces poverty, create decent jobs and mobilise the entrepreneurial potential of people, in particular the youth and women, in a sustainable manner; support development of private sector and SMEs; support the continental integration process, notably through accelerated infrastructure development, energy, industrialization and investment.

Key areas for cooperation: Private investment, infrastructure and continental integration

• Promote continental integration and trade as well as the engagement of the private sector as a key partner in development. This will include strengthening the capacity of stakeholders to develop public-private partnerships. To fast-track the establishment of a Continental Free Trade Area in Africa, the EU offers to draw on its experience of building the Single Market to provide capacity support to this initiative. Strengthen cooperation to support initiatives such as Boosting Intra- African Trade and the establishment of the Continental Free Trade Area. Commitment to dialogue on regional and continental economic integration policies. Work together to foster trade liberalisation and facilitation in a fair manner. The EU will provide support to African countries in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) accession process as well as the implementation of the WTO trade facilitation agreement. This will include the harmonisation of appropriate policies, reducing technical barriers to trade by building capacity to improve, certify and assure the quality and standards of goods.
• Continue working on outstanding Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) with the aim to foster intra-African trade and Africa's regional integration efforts and the planned Continental Free Trade Area. In this regard, both parties should continue negotiations on EPAs by exploiting all possibilities to reach a satisfactory conclusion of development-oriented and WTO-compatible EPAs that promote African integration, economic transformation and industrialization and ensure the prosperity of nations to the benefit of both continents. It is important that Africa and Europe develop globally competitive industries that can succeed in today's global markets and contribute to sustainable development. EPAs should be structured to ensure that  trade expands and that it supports growth of intra-regional trade in Africa.
• Explore modalities to exchange information on the implementation of trade agreements and their implications for Africa’s regional integration and industrial development agenda.
• Strengthen cooperation in the area of industrial development, through exchange of information and experiences on respective policy frameworks such as the Europe 2020 Strategy flagship initiatives, an industrial policy for the globalisation era and the Strategy for Accelerated Industrial development (AIDA). Support the transformation of raw material at the source in order to enable them to reach a middle income status. Work toward prudent and transparent management of respective natural resources in the interest of both populations, in particular in conflict affected areas in line with principles of good governance. In order to complement the African policies in the above fields, the EU recalls its approach to responsible mineral sourcing and proposes a dialogue on these issues. Endeavour to cooperate in such fields as geological surveys, mineral resources governance, investments, infrastructures, skills development and waste management.
• Engage to develop an open, transparent and predictable investment climate, including through improved legal frameworks, to promote private sector-led trade and responsible investment. Support small, micro and medium-sized enterprises, which play a strategic role in wealth and job creation in both economies, and foster their competitiveness and internationalisation as well as encourage technology transfer. The EU will put these objectives at the forefront of the EU's support to private sector development and its engagement with the European and African private sectors for development. The EU-Africa Business Forum will remain a privileged platform for exchanges among private companies and with the public sector. Other important stakeholders will be the EU-Africa economic and social actors whose fora should be encouraged and supported.
• Decisions to invest or develop new policies need to be based on reliable and comparable data. Enhance cooperation between European and African Statistical Systems in producing quality statistical service.
• Deepen cooperation in international tax matters to broaden domestic revenue mobilisation and tackle illicit financial flows, through increased cooperation in line with the principles of transparency, exchange of information and fair tax competition.
• Strategic priorities for cooperation in the fields of energy, transport, water and Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have been developed by the Reference Group in Infrastructure through Sector Strategy Papers in coherence with the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA), the EU Development Policy and other guiding policy frameworks such as the UN Sustainable Energy for All Initiative. Strategic investments in these sectors applying innovative financing approaches will be coupled with support to regulatory reforms. Crosssectoral coordination will be ensured through the Reference Group on Infrastructures.
• In the field of transport, strive for the reduction of transport costs and boosting of intra-African trade by bringing regional transport corridors to an adequate level of service, which is sustainable, safe and reliable. More attention will be given to the economic, social and environmental dimensions of transport. EU will provide sustainable and adequate financial and human resources for the deployment of satellite navigation infrastructure based on European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) and establish governance and financing schemes for the capital and operational expenditures of EGNOS in Africa for the countries concerned. Multimodal inter-connections must be the tangible link that unites the two continents and must reflect the privileged relationship between Africa and the EU.
• Progress towards the 2020 targets of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership on Energy access, Energy Security, Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency, with a strong focus on private sector and on interconnections, including between the two continents.
• Actions in the water sector shall be geared to ensuring sustainable and efficient management of water resources, contributing to growth, peace and security, through institutional strengthening and preparation for investment in multi-purpose water infrastructure. Ensure better management of water resources for greater access to drinking water and sanitation and strengthen the water-energy-food nexus.
• In the field of ICT, actions will aim at establishing favorable conditions and enabling environments for ICT in the service of citizens, public authorities and businesses, especially SMEs. This objective will be met through the implementation of a threepronged ICT for Development Strategy "Connecting Africa" aimed at: a) the harmonisation and alignment of the appropriate aspects of е-communications policies and regulatory frameworks between Africa and the EU, including cyber-security. An important target in this process will be the transition from analogue to digital broadcasting in Africa and the regulation of the resulting Digital Dividend; b) the interconnection of Research and Education Networks through e-infrastructures; and c) the enhancement of ICT capacities for all, particularly in order to improve access to internet and an open and inclusive governance, in line with the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society.