council of the european union acp 131

10294/1/09 REV 1 TB/gf 1DG C II EN

COUNCIL OFTHE EUROPEAN UNION

Brussels, 27 May 2009

10294/1/09REV 1

COMPET 296COAFR 190ACP 131COPOL 42MIGR 68COMAG 12DEVGEN 155

NOTEFrom : Portuguese delegationTo : Sixth "Space Council", 29 May 2009Subject : Any other business:

GMES - Africa: state of play

State of Play of the Lisbon Process on "GMES and Africa" as part of the 8th EU-Africa

Partnership, to be presented to the Sixth Space Council, 29 May 2009

The Process on "GMES and Africa", set by Africans and Europeans in December 2007 in Lisbon, is

an integral part of the 8th Africa-EU Partnership and has been identified as an early deliverable of

the 'Book of Lighthouse Projects' in the area of Space. A thorough consultation with stakeholders

and users in Africa and Europe is currently ongoing to define the "GMES and Africa Action Plan"

for submission at the 3rd EU-Africa Summit. Answering to an African demand raised through the

Maputo Declaration (signed in October 2006) for planning the extension of the Global Monitoring

for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative to Africa, the Action Plan will be based on African

user requirements in Earth Observation products and services and will identify the institutional,

human, and infrastructural capacities and coordinated actions necessary for its development.

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The stakeholders involved in the Lisbon Process – forming a Joint Experts Team as defined by the

Africa-EU Joint Implementation Teams – met informally in Accra in October 2008 and agreed on

the modus operandi to identify user requirements and draft the Action Plan1.

Experts from Europe and Africa have subsequently been identified along agreed thematic areas. In a

joint meeting that took place 9-12 March 2009 in Ispra (Italy), thirty five African and European

experts collaborated actively and the drafting process was launched. The schedule for the several

steps of the consultation and drafting of the Action Plan has been defined with reference to the

activities foreseen under the 8th Africa-EU Partnership. This has been complemented by a strategy

for political validation by the Joint Implementation Team under the 8th AU/EU Joint Partnership.

The consolidated first version of the Action Plan will be finalized in June and a through

consultation process will follow.

Per invitation of France, the Chair of the 8th EU-Africa Partnership, Portugal acts as co-chair for the

development of "GMES and Africa" process.

The Coordination Team of the Lisbon Process for "GMES and Africa" is composed of the

following entities:

African Union Commission (HRST, div. for S&T and ITC), AMCEN, AMCOST, AMCOW

European Commission (DG DEV, DG ENTR, DE JRC), ESA, EUMETSAT

France, Portugal

Chair and Vice Chair of the Steering Committee of the AMESD project

UNECA

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1 See Annex 1: Terms of Reference for the drafting of the "Action Plan on GMES and Africa

partnership".

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ANNEX


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council of the european union acp 131

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