PURPOSE: to conclude, on behalf of the European Union,
the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development between
the European Union and the Islamic Republic of
Afghanistan.
PROPOSED ACT: Council Decision.
ROLE OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: the Council may adopt
the act only if Parliament has given its consent to the
act.
BACKGROUND: in July 2011, the Foreign Affairs Council1
expressed its willingness to negotiate an agreement with
Afghanistan that would reflect its long-term commitment to the
country’s development. In November 2011, the Council adopted a
Decision authorising the Commission and the High Representative to
negotiate a Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development
(CAPD) with Afghanistan
After three rounds of negotiations that went on until
November 2012, talks were resumed in 2015, with the new Afghan
Government. The fourth and final round of negotiations took place
in Brussels on 29 April 2015 and was concluded successfully. The
two sides initialled the Agreement in Kabul on 2 July
2015.
CONTENT: the proposal requires the Council to adopt a
decision to approve the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and
Development between the European Union and Afghanistan.
The Agreement is the first contractual relationship
between the European Union and Afghanistan and underpins the
EU’s commitment to supporting Afghanistan’s future
development during its ‘decade of transformation’ agreed
at the Bonn conference in 2011. The two parties are committed to
pursuing and extending their cooperation, to strengthening existing
links and to establishing a close and lasting relationship based on
reciprocity and mutual interests.
The Agreement includes provisions on political
dialogue and on cooperation in a broad range of areas. It draws
on the EU’s standard political clauses on human rights
and the International Criminal Court, and includes commitments
related to the rights of women and children. It reiterates
the willingness of the parties to address shared concerns,
including:
- the fight against terrorism, international crime and
illegal trafficking;
- non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, disarmament and
nuclear security;
- weapons of mass destruction (WMD);
- small arms and light weapons (SALW) ;
and
- counter-narcotics.
The provisions on cooperation cover the following sectors:
- infrastructure development,
- energy,
- transport,
- health,
- natural resources,
- tax,
- education and culture,
- employment and social affairs,
- science and technology, and
- environment and climate change.
The Agreement also emphasises the importance of
legal cooperation and affirms the parties’ commitment
to fighting organised crime, money laundering and
corruption.