(1)

The African Union (AU) has over the past years become a strategic continental actor and a key international partner of the European Union (EU).

(2)

The EU has on numerous occasions recognised the important role and achievements of the AU, including in the EU Strategy ‘EU and Africa: Towards a Strategic Partnership’ (hereinafter referred to as the EU Africa Strategy) adopted at the European Council on 15 and 16 December 2005.

(3)

On 14 and 15 December 2006, the European Council committed itself to strengthening the EU's strategic partnership with Africa and, as one concrete measure in the framework of relevant priority actions for 2007, to enhancing the EU presence with the AU in Addis Ababa.

(4)

The appointment of a European Union Special Representative (EUSR) to the AU, based permanently in Addis Ababa, has been identified as a suitable measure to ensure enhanced EU presence with the AU.

(5)

The SG/HR has recommended that Mr Koen Vervaeke be appointed as the EUSR to the AU.

(6)

Within six months from the entry into force of this Joint Action, the long-term structures of the EUSR office will be further elaborated and consolidated, on the basis of a report prepared by the Presidency in close cooperation with the SG/HR, the EUSR and the Commission.

(7)

The EUSR is to implement his mandate in the context of a situation which may deteriorate and could harm the objectives of the Common Foreign and Security Policy, as set out in Article 11 of the Treaty,

(a)

enhancing the EU's political dialogue and broader relationship with the AU;

(b)

strengthening the EU-AU partnership in all areas outlined in the EU Africa Strategy, contributing to the development and implementation of the EU Africa Strategy in partnership with the AU, respecting the principle of African ownership and working more closely with African representatives in multilateral fora in coordination with multilateral partners;

(c)

working with, and providing support to the AU by supporting institutional development and strengthening the relationship between EU and AU Institutions, including through development assistance, to promote:

(a)

strengthen the overall EU influence in, and coordination of, the Addis Ababa-based dialogue with the AU and its Commission, on the whole range of CFSP/ESDP issues covered by the EU-AU relationship;

(b)

ensure an appropriate level of political representation, reflecting the importance of the EU as a political, financial and institutional partner of the AU, and the stepchange in that partnership necessitated by the growing political profile of the AU on the world stage;

(c)

represent, should the Council so decide, EU positions and policies, when the AU plays a major role in a crisis situation for which no EUSR has been appointed;

(d)

help achieve better coherence, consistency and coordination of EU policies and actions towards the AU, and contribute to enhance coordination of the broader partner group and its relation with the AU;

(e)

follow closely, and report on, all relevant developments at AU level;

(f)

maintain close contact with the AU Commission, other AU organs, missions of African Sub-regional organisations to the AU and the missions of the AU Member States to the AU;

(g)

facilitate the relations/cooperation between the AU and African Subregional organisations, especially in those areas where the EU is providing support;

(h)

offer advice and provide support to the AU upon request in the areas outlined in the EU Africa Strategy;

(i)

offer advice and provide support to the building up of the AU's crisis management capabilities;

(j)

on the basis of a clear division of tasks, coordinate with, and support, the actions of EUSRs with mandates in AU Member States/Regions; and

(k)

maintain close contacts and promote coordination with key international partners of the AU present in Addis Ababa, especially the United Nations, but also with non-state actors on the whole range of the CFSP/ESDP issues covered by the EU-AU relationship.

(a)

establishing a mission-specific security plan based on guidance from the General Secretariat of the Council, including mission-specific physical, organisational and procedural security measures, governing management of the secure movement of personnel to, and within, the mission area, the management of security incidents and a mission contingency and evacuation plan;

(b)

ensuring that all personnel deployed outside the EU are covered by high risk insurance as required by the conditions in the mission area;

(c)

ensuring that all members of his team to be deployed outside the EU, including locally contracted personnel, have received appropriate security training before or upon arriving in the mission area, based on the risk ratings assigned to the mission area by the General Secretariat of the Council;

(d)

ensuring that all agreed recommendations made following regular security assessments are implemented and providing the SG/HR, the Council and the Commission with written reports on their implementation and on other security issues within the framework of the mid-term and mandate implementation reports.