JOINT COMMUNIQUE EIGHTH CABO VERDE-EU POLITICAL DIALOGUE MEETING AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL. Mindelo, 16 November 2016

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1 JOINT COMMUNIQUE EIGHTH CABO VERDE-EU POLITICAL DIALOGUE MEETING AT MINISTERIAL LEVEL Mindelo, 16 November 2016 The eighth political dialogue meeting at ministerial level between the Republic of Cabo Verde (CV) and the European Union (EU), in the framework of CV-EU Special Partnership, was held in Mindelo, Cabo Verde, on 16 November 2016, under the cochairing of His Excellency, Mr L. Tavares, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Communities of the Republic of Cabo Verde, and His Excellency, Mr M. Lajčák, Minister for Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovakia, on behalf of Her Excellency, Ms F. Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The Parties reiterated their strong commitment to the Special Partnership (SP) and agreed in their very positive assessment of the implementation of the SP over the past year. Discussions focused on ways to further strengthen cooperation in the key areas promoting economic growth and sustainable development, boosting trade, investment and competitiveness; deepening cooperation on security and stability, migration, education, science, technology and innovation, regulatory and technical convergence and energy. The Parties reaffirmed their shared commitment to the values and principles of democracy, good governance and the rule of law, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, the promotion of sustainable economic and social development, and the promotion of international peace and security. Ministers discussed the political and economic situation in Cabo Verde and in Europe. Cabo Verde was praised for its achievements in terms of social and economic development as a result of its stable democracy and solid institutions as demonstrated once again during this year s cycle of elections, respect for human rights and good governance. The Parties underlined the importance of stable macroeconomic policies and 1/5

2 the need to continue efforts aiming at strengthening economic resilience and promoting investment and competitiveness as well as the creation of jobs, in particular for youth. Developing the potential of the Special Partnership Ministers expressed their satisfaction with the continued dynamism of the EU-Cabo Verde bilateral relations and the good progress on the implementation of the Special Partnership in areas such as mobility, technical and normative convergence and science and technology. They emphasised the need to reinvigorate cooperation in the area of security and stability, including the efficient management of borders. Parties agreed to continue developing their political dialogue and to strengthen their cooperation on the basis of the Special Partnership. Parties welcomed the signature of the new 50M Budget Support Programme on 17 October 2016, aiming at supporting Poverty Reduction and Growth and Strengthen the Special Partnership between the EU and Cabo Verde. With regard to the reinforced cooperation on security and stability, Ministers welcomed the revision of Cabo Verde s Security Action Plan notably by adding the area of document security. The fight against money-laundering and cybercrime, as well as maritime and air security, telecommunications and the improvement of information services, protection of critical infrastructures and general security and civil protection are identified as priority areas for cooperation. Parties welcomed the results achieved in technical and regulatory convergence on food security, pharmaceutical products and quality. The aim is to strengthen Cabo Verde's health and quality standards and to improve competitiveness and facilitate market access. Ministers recognized the importance of strong cooperation on higher education, science, technology and innovation, and expressed satisfaction with the degree of ongoing cooperation through trainings and awareness raising initiatives to strengthen local universities and research centres capacities and with a view to increasing the participation of Cabo Verde in Horizon 2020 projects. The contacts between the EU and Cabo Verde have also been reinforced with a view to enhancing the bilateral academic mobility under EU flagship programmes such as Erasmus+ and Marie Skłodowska-Curie. The quality in higher education and the relevance of degree programmes, professional training, skills and employability are areas of common interest for future cooperation. The EU commended the progress made in the energy sector in Cabo Verde and its political commitment to further increase the use of renewable and sustainable energy. To this end, the EU reiterated its commitment to provide the necessary technical assistance 2/5

3 and expertise to Cabo Verde, including on the improvement of the energy legal framework and preparing a Master Plan on Energy. With regard to regional integration, Ministers welcomed the presentation on 15 November in Praia of the results of the call for proposals for the Macaronesian region (Interreg V A MAC) with the EU islands of Madeira, Azores and Canarias. Through its participation in this programme of transnational cooperation under the EU Fund for Regional Development (FEDER), Cabo Verde has the opportunity to share enriching experiences with similar regions in terms of vulnerabilities and opportunities. Under the new MAC/ FEDER programme , an amount of 33 MEUR is available for this cooperation. Pursuing the implementation of the Mobility Partnership Ministers welcomed the positive assessment of the second year of implementation of the EU-CV joint Visa Facilitation Agreement and the Readmission Agreement which are key elements of the Mobility Partnership between EU and CV. They noted the outcomes of the very constructive Joint Committee meetings of both Agreements in October Parties emphasized the importance of the Common Visa Application Centre in Praia (CCV Praia) and welcomed the fact that this project promoted by Portugal, Luxembourg and Belgium now also represents another 13 Schengen Member States Austria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Slovakia and Sweden - as well as Norway and Switzerland. The CCV Praia represents one of the flagship initiatives of the Mobility Partnership and contributes to improve in a concrete manner the mobility of Cabo-Verdean citizens to the EU in a transparent and regulated way. The EU encouraged the continued development of the CCV Praia and welcomed Cape Verde's willingness to further increase cooperation on migration and mobility in the years to come. Parties further stressed the importance of a regional approach to migration and reiterated their commitment towards furthering dialogue and deepening cooperation within the framework the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and of the Euro-African Dialogue on Migration and Development (the Rabat Process). In this context, they welcomed the migration workshop to be hosted by Cabo Verde on 29/30 November. The EU stressed that the mobility partnership with Cabo Verde constitutes a good example of bilateral cooperation on migration issues and expressed appreciation for the active engagement of Cabo Verde in the contribution to the Valetta Summit on Migration, looking forward to continued cooperation in this framework. Promoting sustainable development 3/5

4 The EU reaffirmed its determination to continue supporting the Cabo Verde's Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper III. The recently signed Budget Support Agreement with an indicative amount of 50 M allocated to Cabo Verde for the period reflects the importance that the EU attaches to its relation with Cabo Verde in the framework of the Special Partnership. Complementarity with other EU funds will be sought such as the regional programme, thematic lines and the European Regional Development Fund. Also bearing in mind the Sustainable Development Goals, the strategic objectives of the EU are to assist Cabo Verde in: eradicating poverty, promoting sustainable and inclusive growth, including through science and technology, improving social cohesion and decreasing unemployment, consolidating and improving democratic and economic governance, addressing the country's challenges arising from vulnerability, fostering bilateral trade and assisting Cabo Verde in strengthening its competitiveness and innovation system, increasing domestic and regional security and strengthening the Special Partnership with the EU. Boosting Trade, Investment and Competitiveness Regarding trade, Parties recognized the importance of Cabo Verde s participation in the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) and recalled the need to ensure full compliance with binding undertakings under the GSP+. Both sides hope that the Economic Partnership Agreement between the EU and West Africa can enter into force soon, as it will allow an expansion of two-way trade flows, reduce trade barriers, simplify customs procedures and improve trade-related cooperation. Parties stressed the importance of facilitating and promoting investment, notably foreign investment, for economic growth and job creation, in particular for youth. They agreed to pursue joint initiatives strengthening contacts between business communities with a view to promoting bilateral trade, investment and innovation and underlined the importance of improving the business environment and good dialogue with investors. Parties welcomed the entry into force of the new Protocol ( ) to the EU-Cabo Verde Fisheries Partnership Agreement. The EU commended Cabo Verde for its efforts to fight illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing and reaffirmed its readiness to cooperate and support the sustainable development of the fisheries sector in Cabo Verde, especially in the field of institutional capacity building. Co-operating on Foreign Policy, Regional and International matters 4/5

5 Ministers discussed cooperation on regional and international matters, notably in promoting maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea in the context of regional efforts in the implementation of the June 2013 Yaoundé Code of Conduct, addressing transnational organised crime and maritime insecurity in the region. The EU also congratulated Cabo Verde for the signature of the Lomé Charter, adopted on October 15 at the AU Extraordinary Summit of Heads of State. They shared the view that the entry into force of the Charter should happen as soon as possible, both to minimise illegal and criminal acts at sea and promote a sustainable blue economy. They welcomed the holding of the G7 ++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea meeting in Praia in the coming days. Parties had a fruitful exchange on the issues regional security matters. They in particular condemned all acts of terrorism and violations of human rights, and agreed to stay in close dialogue and cooperation to combat terrorism, violent extremism and organised crime. Both Parties underscored the importance of a functioning system of international criminal justice. In this context, they expressed regrets over recent developments regarding the ICC, carrying the risk of weakening the achievements and potential of the Rome Statute. On Guinea Bissau, the Parties expressed serious concern over the protracted political crisis of the country and strongly urged key political actors to demonstrate their ability of working together to swiftly come to a consensual solution as soon as possible. Parties welcomed the ongoing ECOWAS efforts to solve the crisis in a view of bringing Guinea Bissau back on a track of stability and development. Both parties welcomed the prospect of holding of the next Africa-EU summit in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, in November They agreed that the issue of youth was a key issue to be treated at the summit which will also offer the opportunity to further deepen the Africa- EU partnership in all relevant areas and fields of cooperation. Next Meeting Parties agreed that the next meeting will take place in the EU, possibly in the second half of /5