The strategy on the Horn of Africa, it drags, it drags

(BRUSSELS2) For the European Union, having a clear strategy on the Horn of Africa would be more than necessary. But we cannot say that it is a priority. And the file is dragging on. Under the Swedish presidency, in 2009, the States had shown a clear will to act. In June 2010, they asked the High Representative and the Commission to make " proposals for a comprehensive strategy for relations in the Horn of Africa ". The communication was expected for October 2010. But it was only six months later, in March 2011, that it was presented to the Member States.

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The reception was rather cold on the part of the Member States. Lack of consistency, lack of consultation and consideration of their points of view. Some also felt that the issue of piracy was overstated to the detriment of other political or security issues. Result: the project was failed. And a new project is expected… for October 2011.

We can notice that this slowness of political reaction is rather general. We are still waiting for the strategy on the Sahel. Just like the PeSDC mission to strengthen maritime capacities in East Africa has still not seen the light of day. Even in the southern Mediterranean, we had to wait until today for us to decide to have a special representative in the area. The explanation: according to concordant sources (national diplomats, internal sources, Commission), this “blocks the cabinet of the High Representative”. I would add that the absence of a “Horn of Africa” special representative certainly does not help the relevance of the file.