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COUNCIL OF

THE EUROPEAN UNION

Brussels, 25 November 2008





16149/08





ASIM		  90

COAFR	379

DEVGEN	246





NOTE

from:	the Presidency

to:	Council

Subject:	Comprehensive approach to migration

-	Briefing on the outcome of the second Euro-African Ministerial
Conference on Migration and Development (Paris, 25 November 2008)



Delegations will find below the declaration as approved by the Ministers
during the above-mentioned Conference.

                  

                             

WE, the Ministers in charge of migration and development issues,
Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the following countries : AUSTRIA,
BELGIUM, BENIN, BULGARIA, BURKINA FASO, CAMEROON, CAPE VERDE, CHAD, COTE
D'IVOIRE, CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, CONGO, CYPRUS, CZECH REPUBLIC,
DENMARK, EQUATORIAL GUINEA, ESTONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GABON, GAMBIA,
GERMANY, GHANA, GREECE, GUINEA, GUINEA BISSAU, HUNGARY, IRELAND, ITALY,
LATVIA, LIBERIA, LIBYA, LITHUANIA, LUXEMBOURG, MALI, MALTA, MOROCCO,
MAURITANIA, NETHERLANDS, NIGER, NIGERIA, NORWAY, POLAND, PORTUGAL,
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO, ROMANIA, SENEGAL , SIERRA LEONE, SLOVAKIA,
SLOVENIA, SPAIN, SWITZERLAND, SWEDEN, TOGO, TUNISIA, UNITED KINGDOM; and
we, European Commissioners in charge of migration, development and
external relations,

MEETING at the invitation of the French Republic on 25 November 2008 in
Paris, for the Second Euro African Ministerial Conference on Migration
and Development,

CONSIDERING that the Declaration and Action Plan of the First Euro
African Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development, held in
Rabat on 10 and 11 July 2006, laid the foundations for a close
partnership based on a global, balanced and operational approach between
the countries located along the West African migratory route,

CONSIDERING that international migration is a fact and will continue to
take place as long as wealth and development gaps remain between
different regions of the world, and that it can substantially contribute
to the economic growth of European and African countries,

CONSIDERING that the global and concerted management of migration is an
important aspect of international relations and that organised
migration, notably through suitable new cooperation initiatives,
contributes to the development of the countries concerned,

CONSIDERING that organised labour migration is conducive to the proper
distribution of human resources worldwide and represents a source of
cultural and social enrichment through the human and economic exchanges
it generates,

CONSIDERING that controlled management of migration is necessary to
prevent  difficulties for States in terms of social and national
cohesion,

BEARING IN MIND that the organisation of migration must be in keeping
with the fundamental rights and the dignity of migrants and that
particular attention must be given to integration policies and decent
work for migrants, 

BEARING IN MIND the rights of refugees and asylum seekers, whose
specificity must be recognised and whose international protection must
be ensured pursuant to the United Nations Convention relating to the
Status of Refugees and its Additional Protocol, as well as the OAU
Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa
and relevant Community law,

BEARING IN MIND the challenge that the management of mixed flows
including both asylum seekers and economic migrants represents for
States,

BEARING IN MIND the obligation to protect the family and to respect
family life, enshrined in international law, and the need, to this end,
to provide for family reunification under the conditions set by national
law,

BEARING IN MIND the urgent need to combat the root causes of migration,
which include poverty, human rights violations, conflicts and climate
change, 

CONVINCED that it is appropriate to implement new projects contributing
to synergies between migration and development in a coherent strategic
framework,

CONCERNED by criminal practices such as the smuggling of migrants and
trafficking in human beings, 

CONVINCED therefore that permanent cooperation, based on a global and
multidimensional partnership, must be established between countries of
origin, transit and destination but that it will not be effective unless
it embraces the organisation of legal migration, the fight against
irregular migration and the search for synergies between migration and
development,

CONSIDERING the numerous advances made in the field of cooperation
projects launched since the First Euro African Ministerial Conference on
Migration and Development,

BEARING IN MIND:

–	the Euro African Joint Declaration on Migration and Development and
the Ouagadougou Action Plan to Combat Trafficking in Human Beings,
adopted during the Euro African Ministerial Conference on Migration and
Development, held on 22 and 23 November 2006 in Tripoli,

–	the conclusions of the Follow up Meeting of the First Euro African
Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development, held on 21 June
2007 in Madrid,

–	the work of the Global Forum on Migration and Development, held in
Brussels from 9 to 11 July 2007, and in Manila from 27 to 30 October
2008,

–	the Action Plan adopted during the First Euro Mediterranean
Ministerial Conference on Migration, held in Albufeira, on 18 and 19
November 2007,

–	the conclusions of the co chairmanships of the three meetings to
prepare for the Second Euro African Ministerial Conference on Migration
and Development, held in Rabat (3 and 4 March 2008), Ouagadougou (20, 21
and 22 May 2008) and Dakar (9, 10 and 11 July 2008),

ALSO BEARING IN MIND the outcomes of sub-regional consultations on
migration and development such as the Tunis Declaration of October 2002
and the other conclusions of the 5+5 Dialogue, and the ECOWAS Common
Approach on Migration adopted in January 2008,

CONSIDERING that the Strategic Partnership adopted during the Second
Euro African Summit, held in Lisbon on 8 and 9 December 2007, notably
item 7 of its Action Plan on "Migration, Mobility and Employment",
issued a call to "promote regional programmes to strengthen cooperation
between countries of origin, transit and destination as regards
migration and development along migratory routes",

CONSIDERING that the interdependence of the African migratory routes
should also be taken into account,

BEARING IN MIND the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness of 2 March
2005 and the Accra Action Plan adopted during the Third High Level Forum
on 4 September 2008,

REAFFIRMING our will to pursue the establishment of the global
partnership between countries of origin, transit and destination of
migrants in the spirit of the conferences and meetings mentioned above,

AGREE to strengthen our cooperation concerning migration policies and
their links with development, and to this end, adopt the following
Three-Year Cooperation Programme:

THREE-YEAR COOPERATION PROGRAMME

2009 2011

In 2006, the First Euro African Ministerial Conference on Migration and
Development responded to the emergency situation along the West African
migratory route by establishing a partnership between countries of
origin, transit and destination as the preferred answer to migration
challenges between Africa and Europe. At the core of this partnership,
it also integrated the three tracks of the "Global Approach to
Migration" which, by addressing migration flows under all their aspects,
enables a balanced dialogue to the benefit of migrants and of the
countries participating in the Euro African Process on Migration and
Development (hereinafter called the "Euro African Process"):

–	Organisation of legal migration

–	Fight against irregular migration

–	Synergies between migration and development

Following this successful preliminary phase, the results of which are
already visible not only in terms of better dialogue but also concrete
cooperation, the Second Euro African Ministerial Conference on Migration
and Development, by adopting a Three-Year Cooperation Programme, is
embarking upon a new phase aimed at clarifying the areas of action and
defining concrete measures intended to be implemented in the next three
years, namely 2009 to 2011.

In the framework of the dialogue established between Africa and the
European Union within the Lisbon Strategic Partnership on Migration,
Mobility and Employment, this Cooperation Programme charts the
operational course of action for the areas defined in the Rabat Action
Plan, integrating the inter  and intra regional migration aspects. Its
implementation requires more information, to be provided by specialised
observatories for example, on all aspects of migration flows, and to
take the feminisation of migration into consideration. 

This Three-Year Cooperation Programme will provide the basis for the
multilateral and bilateral actions conducted by the countries and the
institution party to the Euro African Process, in coordination with the
observer organisations.

The participants undertake to implement, on a voluntary basis, a
significant number of the actions outlined below according to the
specific nature of their migratory situation and the ensuing priorities.
They will choose the measures of the programme that they intend to
promote as well as the relevant procedures and funding.

This implementation must take place in full compliance with fundamental
rights and human dignity, the principles of international law and the
international commitments made by the parties. It must take into
consideration the need for a global and balanced approach to the
implementation of the three pillars of the programme, as well as the
necessary balance between the commitments of countries of origin and
destination. Observer institutions are called upon to support these
actions.

To ensure that cooperation policies regarding migration are effective,
clear and predictable, it seems beneficial to integrate them as much as
possible in bilateral or multilateral agreements whose content will draw
on the series of measures proposed in this Three-Year Cooperation
Programme. Such policies should also aim at contributing to
strengthening the capacity of partner countries to manage migration
issues. 

The participants in the Euro African Process are aware of the
consequences that the grave financial crisis of autumn 2008 may have for
the world economy,  and hence, migration. This new context, whose
effects are not fully known, makes it even more urgent and necessary
that there should be international cooperation and that the principles
of the concerted global approach to migration should be applied in
matters of migration. It merely underlines the importance of adopting
this Three-Year Cooperation Programme.

I - ORGANISING LEGAL MIGRATION

Legal migration, seen here mainly from the standpoint of labour and
student migration, makes it possible for labour markets to work better
in destination countries and contributes, through both remittances and
the acquisition of professional skills by migrants, to the development
of countries of origin. In addition, it can serve as an important
deterrent to irregular migration, which follows informal channels to the
detriment of legal workers, including the migrants themselves. It must
be implemented while avoiding a "brain drain" effect and a "brain waste"
effect. It is therefore advisable to promote legal migration through the
following measures, according to the needs and capacities of each
national economy, without prejudice to other forms of legal migration,
including family reunification, while respecting national competences.

1.	Facilitating the emergence of legal migration opportunities

1)	Assess the needs of countries of destination and countries of origin
in order to define migration policies by:

–	Encouraging countries of destination to provide, on the basis of
their labour market opportunities, job opportunities to the benefit of
nationals of the countries of origin.

–	Anticipating that countries of origin will take into consideration
the availability of highly qualified aspiring migrants while seeking to
prevent "brain drain" and "brain waste" effects and respecting
development policies and national strategies on poverty reduction.

–	Linking migration management more closely with employment and human
resources policies, in both countries of origin and destination.

–	Encouraging regular contacts between social partners of the
countries of origin and the countries of destination.

–	Drawing up migration profiles in destination countries and in
countries of origin, particularly by developing suitable statistical
policies.

–	Studying the impact of legal migration on the labour markets of
destination countries.

–	Implementing twinning projects between labour authorities,
employment agencies and employer organisations in countries of origin
and destination.

–	Developing operational cooperation between Africa and the European
Union in promoting legal migration while considering, for some countries
of destination, on a voluntary basis, the pooling of some of their legal
migration national offers.

2)	Adapt the existing legal frameworks to facilitate legal migration
opportunities by: 

–	Concluding government level bilateral or multilateral agreements in
relation to legal migration, and by integrating them into a global and
balanced approach to migration.

–	Ensuring within the framework of regulation of legal migration that
migrants benefit, on the one hand, from the rights to which any worker
is justly entitled in destination countries and, on the other hand, from
the integration policies applied by such countries.

–	Adapting the legislation on labour markets, if necessary.

–	Encouraging, on a voluntary basis, and in order to promote the
development of countries of origin, the setting up of circular migration
mechanisms that provide for visas and residence permits which reflect
the nature of the migration (for study, seasonal work, temporary work,
highly qualified work, research, training, academic work, etc.) and
ensuring the return, support and effective and lasting reintegration of
migrants in their country of origin when their residence permits expire.

–	Simplifying long stay visa formalities for workers and students.

3)	Support intra African legal migration opportunities, in particular in
the framework of the African international organisations by: 

-	Establishing regional integrated border management programmes.

-	Organising community information and awareness-raising programmes.

2.	Strengthening institutional cooperation and information on legal
migration

1)	Redirect institutional cooperation between countries of destination
and origin so as to facilitate legal migration opportunities by:

–	Ensuring destination countries provide support to countries of
origin and transit in terms of technical assistance and training.

–	Creating or expanding, in such countries of origin as may express
the need, agencies or specialised services in the field of employment or
legal migration information and management. In collaboration, where
appropriate with the private sector, these organisations might extend
their competencies to cover recruitment of migrants, professional
training, departure procedures and reintegration when returning to their
countries of origin.

–	Networking the African and European institutions entrusted with the
management of legal migration programmes. 

2)	Increase information about legal migration opportunities by:

–	Circulating potential employers in destination countries and
aspiring migrants in countries of origin with any information on the
requirements to be met in terms of professional abilities, existing
regulations and the procedures to be followed for their training,
recruitment and departure to destination countries.

–	Organising a regular dialogue between the authorities of countries
of origin and of destination.

3)	Support, on regional and national levels, in both Africa and Europe,
the creation, strengthening and networking of migration observatories,
preferably on the basis of existing infrastructures.

II -	FIGHT AGAINST IRREGULAR MIGRATION

The fight against irregular migration must be carried on with full
respect for fundamental rights and the dignity of the human person, the
principles of international law and the relevant international
commitments. It must first fully respect, in the framework of mixed
migration flows, the status of refugees, the guarantees to which asylum
seekers are entitled and the principle of non refoulement. It is in the
interest of countries of destination, transit and origin not to allow
irregular migrants to settle. The fight against documentary fraud,
border control, the return, support for and reintegration of irregular
migrants in their country of origin and the combating of smuggling of
migrants and trafficking in human beings must entail close international
cooperation. These areas of action, in which the measures that follow
are implemented, are major levers for reducing irregular migration. 

3.	Establishing a comprehensive approach to the fight against irregular
migration

1)	Set up a concerted management framework and operational cooperation
between Africa and the European Union regarding the fight against
irregular migration by: 

–	Specifying national focal points for the fight against irregular
migration, and organising them in a network for the purposes of the 
exchange of information.

–	Organising national and regional training sessions for professions
involved in the control of irregular migration.

–	Promoting, in countries of destination, transit and origin, the
involvement of international organisations when receiving irregular
migrants and in providing assistance to those for whom a decision to
return has been made. 

–	Listing and assessing all bilateral and multilateral policies in the
fight against irregular immigration so as to bring about synergies
between all these efforts.

–	Undertaking to improve cooperation in the identification of
irregular migrants.

–	Undertaking to cooperate on migration of unaccompanied minors, by
promoting actions centred on prevention, protection, return and
reintegration.

2)	Back the efforts of African countries who receive irregular migrants
by: 

–	Encouraging these countries to define and implement regional
programmes to combat irregular migration, and particularly to gather,
analyse and exchange information.

–	Supporting, including financially and via technical assistance,
actions aimed at providing assistance to irregular migrants and
escorting them back to their countries of origin.

3)	Increase community awareness in departure countries of the dangers of
irregular migration, through cultural, educational and school
programmes, vocational training and information campaigns including
multimedia communication actions.

4.	Improving the quality of civil status registries and combat
documentary fraud 

1)	Support African countries expressing the need, as regards the
improvement of their civil status registration systems by: 

–	Creating and implementing community awareness raising programmes on
the need to register births; and by involving opinion leaders local,
religious and traditional authorities – in the promotion of these
programmes.

–	Promoting the enhancement of the overall capacity of civil status
registry departments.

–	Modernising and securing civil status documents and ensuring
security particularly through information technology and biometrics.

–	Setting up, where necessary and if reliability can be guaranteed,
mobile units for civil status registration procedures.

–	Encouraging the creation and networking of civil status registration
so as  to exchange best practices more efficiently.

–	Compiling an inventory of and assessing all the bilateral and
multilateral cooperation programmes regarding civil status registry
systems, with a view to pooling European countries' efforts in the
future.

2)	Combat document fraud by:

–	Using information technology and biometrics in identity and travel
documents.

–	Rendering secure the processes for producing and storing blank
travel documents.

–	Supporting, for countries expressing the need, the reinforcement of
training and technical assistance in the field of false documents so as
to create a network of African experts in this field.

–	Considering, through heightened cooperation at regional and inter
regional level, the creation of regional offices to counter documentary
fraud.

–	Improving the provision of information to African and European
countries about the characteristics of their respective travel documents
by providing specimens.

–	Encouraging the exchange of information on false travel documents.

5.	Strengthening the control of borders, the fight against migrant
smuggling and the fight against trafficking in human beings, without
infringing the competences of States

1)	Promote the implementation of the integrated border management
concept in African countries.

2)	Improve controls along all borders in Africa by:

–	Helping to establish border posts and providing equipment and
technical assistance, including by creating common or juxtaposed border
posts.

–	Providing technical and material support for supervision between
border posts.

–	Fostering technical cooperation between countries engaged in the
Euro African Process for joint projects to improve land, sea and air
border control, with due regard for the competences of regional
institutions and the sovereignty of States.

3)	Bolster bilateral cooperation by:

–	Institutionalising meetings between African and European officials
in charge of border controls, for example, on a yearly basis, by
networking the national authorities involved in border control.

–	Supporting the creation or reinforcement in each African country of
a national investigation department which specialises in combating the
smuggling of migrants and trafficking in human beings and their related
crimes. 

4)	Develop specific national legal frameworks and encourage the
harmonisation of laws. In this regard, call upon States to ratify and
implement the United Nations Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants
by Land, Sea and Air supplementing the United Nations Convention against
Transnational Organized Crime, and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and
Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children,
supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational
Organized Crime, as well as the International Conventions on Maritime
Search and Rescue and for the Safety of Life at Sea.

5)	Make sure that border control measures and the fight against
trafficking in human beings and migrant smuggling include protection
mechanisms and comply with the principle of non refoulement.

6.	Improving readmission and promoting voluntary return

1)	Step up the efficiency of readmission procedures by:

–	Addressing the issue of readmission within the framework of a global
and balanced approach to migration, and in full compliance with the
fundamental rights and dignity of migrants.

–	Undertaking, for the States Parties, to apply effectively Article
13(5) of the Cotonou Partnership Agreement between ACP States and the
European Union, and to define related procedures.

–	Undertaking to conclude and implement bilateral and multilateral
readmission agreements or arrangements between countries of destination,
transit and origin.

–	Developing the exchange of information on the terms and content of
the readmission agreements concluded.

–	Developing programmes for exchanges between officials of the
authorities in charge of readmissions in countries of origin and
destination.

2)	Improve assistance for the return, particularly voluntary return,
and reintegration of migrants by: 

–	Creating infrastructures for receiving and reintegrating migrants in
countries of origin with due regard for the rights and dignity of
migrants.

–	Drawing up sizeable return, particularly voluntary return, and
sustainable reintegration programmes in countries of origin, transit and
destination.

–	Inviting countries of destination and origin to prioritise
reintegration by providing assistance, in particular technical and
financial assistance, to migrants' projects in their country of origin.

-–	Promoting dialogue between countries of origin, transit and
destination on  voluntary return policies in liaison with civil society
organisations, migrant associations, NGOs and international partners. 

–	Ensuring that return decisions are long lasting by providing for
measures to strengthen the labour markets of countries of origin.

3)	Consider the development of a three way dialogue between Europe,
Africa and Asian countries whose migrants transit through the African
continent.

III -	STRENGTHENING OF THE SYNERGIES BETWEEN MIGRATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Strengthening synergies between migration and development is beneficial
to the consolidation of employment and migration management policies,
and greater involvement of the diaspora in the economic and social
development of their countries of origin; it also facilitates
remittances and the practice of circular migration. It is also advisable
to promote growth, productive employment and decent work in countries
and regions of origin. The actions undertaken must comply with the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The initiatives considered will
promote the strengthening of existing structures and programmes and the
adoption of sector based approaches, and will respect the principles of
the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for
Action.

7.	Supporting employment and social and economic development policies
for the countries of origin

1)	Expand and optimise knowledge about the link between migration and
development by:

–	Supporting research facilities working on this link and their
networking.

–	Facilitating the distribution of research findings and taking them
into consideration when defining policies.

–	Undertaking at national and regional level a discussion on
migration prompted by climate change, and establishing, within the
framework of these deliberations, and with the cooperation of national
or international facilities that specialise in environmental issues,
action plans which respond to this new challenge.

–	Promoting the definition and ownership of national migration
profiles and their use, in particular in the framework of poverty
reduction strategies, as instruments for drawing up development
projects.

–	Encouraging the establishment in each country of a national
framework for the management of migration in order to optimise the
benefits for development.

2)	Promote economic growth and the development of countries of origin
by:

–	Identifying possible pools of productive employment and sectors
recording heavy loss of jobs, with the intention of implementing Euro
African programmes to foster or protect jobs, including in the informal
sector.

–	Drawing on the potential of the private sector.

–	Strengthening the capacity of public institutions in charge of
vocational training and by making professional skill certification a key
element in training mechanisms.

–	Integrating the implication of migratory phenomena in strategic
national documents on economic growth and in documents on development
aid programming, including poverty reduction strategies, with the aim of
maximising the benefits of migration for development. 

–	Supporting endeavours to implement alternatives to the "brain drain"
phenomenon by offering financial incentives and adopting ethical and
responsible codes of conduct.

–	Encouraging the relevant States to extend the benefit of development
projects to refugee reception and return areas.

–	Undertaking to implement the EU Strategy for Action on the Crisis in
Human Resources for Health in Developing Countries.

3)	Improve the social protection of migrants by:

–	Encouraging the signing of bilateral and regional social security
agreements, based on existing international conventions, which make it
possible to ensure equal treatment in terms of access and social cover
as between migrants and nationals of the country of destination.

–	Improving cooperation between the social security institutions of
the countries of destination and the countries of origin.

4)	Ensure the promotion of decent work:

–	In countries of destination and, where necessary, of transit, by
respecting rights of migrant workers, non-discrimination and their
integration in the workplace, including through social dialogue.

–	In countries of origin, by making sure to promote employment and
foster compliance with labour rights, social welfare and social
dialogue.

8.	Promoting migrant remittances and their use for development purposes,
having full regard to their private nature

1)	Facilitate the reduction of the cost of remittances and contribute to
securing them by:

–	Examining the opportunities offered by new technologies
(rechargeable credit cards, mobile telephone services, etc.) to
facilitate remittances, especially in rural areas.

–	Encouraging the opening up of the remittances market in countries of
origin.

–	Enhancing, in countries of origin and destination, information on
formal bank channels and transparency as regards the fees and exchange
rates applied to remittances.

–	Promoting cooperation between European and African banks and
recourse to inter regional bank cooperation in Africa.

–	Facilitating the creation of agencies in Europe to represent the
financial institutions of countries of origin.

–	Examining the possibility of creating bridges between migrant
remittances on the one hand and micro financial institutions or
insurance companies on the other.

2)	Improve the use of migrant remittances to support the economic and
social development of their countries of origin by: 

–	Ensuring easier access to banking services by migrants and their
families in the countries of origin.

–	Modernising the regulatory framework for banking in those countries.


–	Promoting the development by financial institutions of products
which reflect migration realities (subsidised loans, investment savings
schemes, specific insurance contracts, etc.).

–	Fostering greater density of the bank network in countries of
origin.

–	Promoting greater Euro African cooperation in the area of
remittances.

–	Promoting and supporting productive investment initiatives from
migrants in their country of origin through appropriate incentives
(development savings accounts, subsidised loan rates, public private
partnerships, public co financing, etc.).

9.	Promoting development by strengthening the links between diasporas,
countries of origin and destination countries

1)	Encourage countries of origin and destination to acknowledge the role
of diasporas as development actors and change factors by:

–	Encouraging the creation in European and African destination
countries of socio cultural structures for migrants and increasing their
capacity to undertake development actions for the benefit of their
countries of origin.

–	Facilitating the networking or grouping of migrant associations in
order to establish representative partners to speak on behalf of the
authorities in countries of destination and origin.

–	Encouraging countries of origin to promote the creation of
institutions representing migrants.

–	Instituting regular meetings between migrant organisations and the
authorities of destination countries where all questions relating to
migration and development policies can be raised.

–	Supporting the creation by migrants, in the countries of
destination, of businesses whose trade with the countries of origin will
have to be stimulated.

–	Encouraging the development of partnerships between socially
responsible European and African businesses.

–	Promoting the recourse by countries of origin to high-level
expertise of their diaspora.

2)	Help to mobilise the participation of diasporas by:

–	Strengthening consular networks in destination countries in order to
improve relations between the migrant communities and their countries of
origin.

–	Intensifying the dialogue between migrant associations, government
authorities, public agencies, international organisations and NGOs
working towards development cooperation.

–	Reinforcing the support given to non governmental players by
exchanging best practices and common projects between migrant
associations and local players. 

–	Increasing the involvement of migrant associations in professional
skills transfer programmes between countries of destination and origin
as well as in decentralised cooperation projects.

–	Facilitating the circular migration of legal migrants who wish to
return temporarily to their country of origin in order to contribute to
its socio economic development, without prejudicing their right of
residence in the country of destination.

-–	Creating "project banks" available to migrants, and increasing
their participation in defining and implementing development projects in
countries of origin.

–	Systematically calling upon the skills of migrant staff in the
private sector, public sector or in associations in destination
countries with a view to increasing their activities in Africa.

–	Promoting the reduction of the digital divide enabling migrants to
become involved in furthering the development of their countries of
origin from other countries. 

IV - FUNDING THE COOPERATION PROGRAMME ACTIONS

All the participants will take care to ensure that sufficient and
adequate financial resources are allocated for the implementation of the
actions defined in this Programme. 

In keeping with Joint Africa-EU Declaration on Migration and Development
adopted on 23 November 2006 in Tripoli and the Joint Africa-EU Strategy
adopted in Lisbon on 8 and 9 December 2007, each country taking part in
the Euro African Process must address the consequences of the new
priority – the link between migration and development. Be they
countries of origin, transit or destination, all are expected to reflect
this priority in their national migration and development policies and,
to this end, efficiently raise the necessary funds. 

In the context of its relations with third countries, and in accordance
with the conclusions of the European Council meeting of 15 and 16
December 2005 concerning the Global Approach, the European Union has
already decided to step up its financial aid to support the migration
policy by contributing up to 3 % of the amount of the European
Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, and through similar efforts in
other relevant financial instruments. In agreement with partner
countries, it also plans similar endeavours in sub Saharan Africa,
through the mobilisation of various external aid instruments, both theme
based ("migration and asylum" programme) and geographical in nature
(including the EDF), and the Framework Programme on Solidarity and
Management of Migration Flows. These commitments are implemented in
accordance with the current financial framework. 

All participants recall that the Africa-EU Partnership on Migration,
Mobility and Employment adopted at the Lisbon Summit provides for  the
mobilisation of adequate financial resources, from within the framework
of existing funds and programming mechanisms, for the effective
implementation of the measures outlined in the Tripoli Declaration.
Within the framework of this partnership, the Commission of the African
Union and the Commission of the European Union were urged to speed  up
the examination, as set out in the Tripoli Declaration, of the
feasibility of setting up a fund.

To ensure efficiency and to optimise the use of available financial
resources, consistency must be increased when resorting to the various
national and Community instruments. It is also necessary to enhance
coordination between the various active donors who contribute to the
migration area, in order to develop consistency and synergies and to
avoid duplications. 

It is also important that African States and financial institutions be
involved in the co financing of this Three-Year Cooperation Programme.

V - ENSURING FOLLOW UP AND ASSESSMENT

The follow up and assessment of the Euro African Process and
particularly of the application of the Rabat Action Plan and the Paris
Three-Year Cooperation Programme will be carried out by the countries
participating in the process, in ministerial conferences and follow up
meetings. The follow up meetings will be composed of representatives of
all the countries and institutions participating in the Euro African
Process.

A steering committee, comprised of the countries and institutions who
initiated the Euro African Process, as well as the countries and
institutions involved in its smooth operation, will take part in the
preparation of follow up meetings. The steering committee will also
endeavour to promote the application of the measures adopted in the
Three-Year Cooperation Programme. To this end, it may create ad hoc
working groups to study the feasibility, financing possibilities and
implementation of certain parts of the Cooperation Programme. The
Steering Committee will provide information to the other partners via
the contact points of the Euro African Process.

In order to enhance synergy with the other processes of dialogue between
the European Union and Africa, taking account of the interdependence of
the various African migratory routes, the work of the Euro African
Process will be brought to the attention of the competent bodies of the
Africa EU Partnership on Migration, Mobility and Employment, with a view
to ensuring proper link up.

Migration observatories will also contribute to the follow up and
assessment actions.

WE, the Ministers in charge of migration and development issues,
Ministers for Foreign Affairs and we, European Commissioners in charge
of migration, development and external relations, agree to meet again at
the expiration of this Programme.

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