Europski gospodarski i socijalni odbor
Od prve Konvencije iz Loméa (1975.) do Sporazuma iz Cotonoua (2000. – 2021.) partnerstva EU-a i zemalja AKP-a uređivala su odnose između EU-a i 79 zemalja Skupine afričkih, karipskih i pacifičkih država (AKP), koja je nedavno postala Organizacija afričkih, karipskih i pacifičkih država (OACPS).
Tijekom tog razdoblja EGSO se, zajedno s civilnim društvom zemalja AKP-a, borio za priznavanje ključne uloge nedržavnih aktera u razvojnom procesu sve dok se to nije postiglo Sporazumom iz Cotonoua, kojim se EGSO-u daje mandat za organiziranje aktivnosti i savjetovanja s „gospodarskim i društvenim interesnim skupinama zemalja AKP-a i EU-a” kako bi se prikupljala stajališta organiziranog civilnog društva i kako bi im se osigurala veća vidljivost.
Cilj je poticati razmjene i iznositi preporuke o pitanjima i politikama važnima za odnose zemalja AKP-a i EU-a te ih potom službeno upućivati čelnicima EU-a i zemalja AKP-a.
U praktičnom smislu, aktivnosti EGSO-a u području odnosa između EU-a i OACPS-a uglavnom se provode pod vodstvom zajedničkog Odbora za praćenje AKP-a i EU-a koji čine članovi EGSO-a i delegati koji predstavljaju skupine gospodarskih i socijalnih interesa iz zemalja AKP-a.
Odbor za praćenje AKP-a i EU-a održava redovite kontakte s predstavnicima civilnog društva zemalja AKP-a na različitim razinama putem:
EGSO također održava redovite kontakte s predstavnicima gospodarskih i socijalnih interesnih skupina Afričke unije u okviru zajedničke strategije EU-a i Afrike.
Konkretno, EGSO svake godine održava sastanke s grupom gospodarskih i socijalnih dionika Afrike i EU-a.
Već dugi niz godina EGSO održava redovite odnose sa Zajedničkom parlamentarnom skupštinom AKP-a i EU-a te na zasjedanjima Plenarne skupštine podnosi izvješća o njezinim aktivnostima.
EGSO je također u bliskom kontaktu s međunarodnim organizacijama poslodavaca, radnika, poljoprivrednika, zadruga i potrošača. Te organizacije imenuju predstavnike AKP-a koji će biti pozvani na sastanke koje organizira EGSO, uključujući i sastanke Odbora za praćenje AKP-a i EU-a.
The Meeting of the ACP-EU Follow-up Committee will virtually take place on 2 March 2021, 9.30 - 12.30 a.m. Brussels time.
This meeting will be the opportunity to welcome the delegates to the new mandate (2021-2013) of this ACP-EU Follow-up Committee.
Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the Seventh meeting of the EU-Africa Economic and Social Stakeholders' Network originally scheduled in 2020 had been postponed to 2021.
The EESC proposes holding the Seventh meeting of the EU-Africa Economic and Social Stakeholders' Network at the EESC building in Brussels, on 2 March 2021, from 2.30 to 6.15 pm.
The meeting will be held virtually from the EESC building in Brussels. The system INTERACTIO will used as it allows simulations interpretation in EN, ES FR and PT, which is the linguistic regime applied to EESC regular activities with Africa, the Caribbean and Pacific (ACP).
The Meeting of the Follow-up Committee ACP-EU will virtually take place on 14 December 2020, 5-7 p.m. Brussels time, which is 4-6 p.m. G.M.T., 12 a.m.-5 p.m. in Trinidad and Tobago, 7-9 p.m. in Nairobi or 4-6 a.m. in Suva (Fiji).
This meeting will be the opportunity to properly say good-bye and thank our delegates for the good cooperation during the 2018-2020 period, before the EESC launches call for the nomination of new delegates.
Meeting of the Follow-up Committee ACP-EU
The EESC organised a regional seminar in Eastern and Southern Africa, which comprises the Indian Ocean islands (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles), countries from the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan) and some countries of Southern Africa (Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe).
The regional seminar took place in Mauritius, on 21-22 November 2019.
The sixth meeting of the EU-Africa Economic and Social Stakeholders' Network took place in Brussels, Belgium, on 3 and 4 July 2019. A political declaration was adopted by the network to be addressed to the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and the African Union.
On the basis of the Cotonou agreement, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) is mandated to organise consultation sessions and meetings of ACP-EU economic and social interest groups in order to voice these actors' views on the ACP-EU partnership and foster cooperation between civil society organisations.
Within this framework, the EESC organises regional seminars every year in one of the ACP regions.
This year, the EESC is organising a regional seminar in Windhoek (Namibia) on 8-9 November 2018.
The EU-Africa economic and social stakeholders' network will first deal with the up-coming EU-Africa Action Plan for the period 2018-2020. The annual meeting will specifically address migration and economic issues, focusing on the implications for young people. The youth focus is essential as young people clearly represent an increasingly important proportion of African populations. Moreover, youth unemployment in both Africa and Europe is a shared concern of economic and social actors. It is helping to feed migration flows, especially for young Africans who are facing a lack of prospects.
The Consultative Committee (CC) is one of the 5 institutions foreseen in the EU-CARIFORUM Economic Partnership Agreement. The CC is composed of 40 (25 from the CARIFORM side and 15 from the EU side) standing representatives of organisations of the civil society representing employers' organisations, trade unions, other economic, social and non-governmental organisations, including development and environmental organisations; and the academic community.
The Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) has been the main framework for relations between the continents of Europe and Africa since 2007. Its goal is to develop a shared vision of the main global issues whilst simultaneously strengthening cooperation in a broad range of areas such as development, governance, human rights, trade, regional integration, food security and migration. To this end, meetings of EU-African economic and social stakeholders are held on a regular basis.
