The Council welcomed the progress in the 'Peace and Security' partnership of the Joint EU-Africa Strategy, centred around the AU as well as other African actors.
The Council noted that political dialogue continued with regular meetings between the EU and Africa at a political as well as at a technical level including through the EU delegation to the AU.
Regarding the reinforcement of the African Peace and Security Architecture and the operationalisation of the African Stand-by Force, the Council noted that the EuroRecamp-Amani Africa cycle continued with the Contributors´ Conference, the Initiating Planning Conference and the Senior Decision Makers Seminar. The Council noted with satisfaction that work has been initiated on the support to African Training Centres and on the development of a strategy for African training initiatives. Progress was also achieved in the fields of mediation and support to the AU Continental Early Warning System.
In response to the urgent request of the African Union, the EU has provided support to the Strategic Planning Management Unit of the Peace Support Operations Division in Addis Ababa, which is responsible for the planning and conduct of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). The support has included three staff officers from the EU Military Staff and, subsequently, four long-term EU experts contracted by the European Commission and one seconded police training advisor.
The Council looked forward to the report of the UN Secretary General due in September 2009, building on the the AU/UN Report from the Panel chaired by R. Prodi, with a view to reaching an understanding and assessment of the challenges ahead. The Council encouraged the discussion to continue in the AU-EU Joint Expert Group.