§ Mr. AncramTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the EU-Africa meeting on 1 April in Dublin; what issues were raised; what was agreed and whether follow-up meetings are scheduled. [167186]
§ Mr. StrawThe EU-Africa meeting on 1 April was part of the EU-Africa dialogue process. The discussion was focussed on peace and security, governance, regional integration, trade and key development issues. The two sides agreed a joint declaration on effective multilateralism and endorsed a joint report on the scale, nature and impact of Africa's debt burden. A communiqué was issued after the meeting, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. The Irish Presidency of the European Union will report on this meeting at the next General Affairs and External Relations Council on 26 April. The next meeting of the EU-Africa troika at ministerial level is expected to be organised by the Netherlands in the second half of this year.