European

Union

Newsletter March – May 2017

IN THIS ISSUE:

The EU's Information Centre at AAU

AIESEC Youth Speak Forum

The Treaty of Rome – Reflecting the

Past to Shape the Future

Tukul du Livre – EU Book Festival

Europe Day 2017- activities

Latest Diplomatic Highlights

European Union Delegation to Ethiopia

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Editorial: Fostering Development by Facilitating Academic Mobility and Empowering the Youth

"Our main goal is to support the youth of Africa but also of Europe in their common challenge of

finding decent education and jobs and a place in society – including in political participation in

their own systems."

– HR/VP Federica Mogherini, 17 March 2017, Addis Ababa –

The European Union and the African Union will organise their next summit in November 2017,

its main theme being youth engagement. This is not a coincidence: Africa is one of the most

youthful continents with huge potential for growth and development. In this context, the

European Union is partnering with Ethiopia to promote education and job creation. While the

EU and its Member States already have many higher education cooperation projects in Ethiopia,

and these efforts can be further strengthened.

In recent months, the EU Delegation to Ethiopia has also organised several exciting youth

empowerment activities. These include the celebration of the 60 year anniversary of the Treaty

of Rome and the 30th ERASMUS programme anniversary through promotional events organised

in collaboration with Campus France and AIESEC; the signing of the Memoranda of

Understanding (MoU) with Addis Ababa University (which provides the basis for the opening of

the European Union Information Centre) and with the Dire Dawa University; the Youth

TakeOver social media discussion on youth empowerment; the promotion of EU Guidelines on

the Rights of the Child and support to the Europe Day 2017 Children's Races in collaboration

with the Great Ethiopian Run. These events are a testimony of the EU Delegation's willingness to

engage with the Ethiopian youth for their development.

Youth empowerment is also a key element of the EU's new

strategy on international cultural relations and cultural

diplomacy. We aim to enhance mutual dialogue and

understanding between people in Europe and Africa.

Academic exchanges, joint cultural activities, and protection

of cultural identities and heritage are essential parts of the

EU-Ethiopia cooperation. We hope that you enjoy reading

this special EU Delegation to Ethiopia Newsletter which

highlights the recent activities in this field.

Chantal Hebberecht

Head of the EU Delegation to Ethiopia

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Introducing the European Information Centre at Addis Ababa University

Following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the European

Union and the Addis Abeba University (AAU) in January 2017, the European Union Information

Centre (EUIC) at Addis Ababa University will open its doors at the start of the new academic year

in September 2017. The Centre will be located at the AAU's Department for European

Languages at the AAU campus. The EUIC has the following objectives:

The EUIC will provide information about the activities of the

European Union and its Member States in Ethiopia in general.

The EUIC will provide access to computers which facilitate data

search and information sharing.

The EUIC will provide information about academic exchanges,

studies and scholarships, including Erasmus+ programme.

The EUIC will provide a platform for joint lectures and events.

The EUIC may facilitate possible joint activities and projects with

the interested AAU departments.

The EUIC will facilitate contacts between visiting European high

level officials and experts and the AAU in order to strengthen

international networks.

In May 2017, the European Union also signed a Memorandum of

Understanding with the Dire Dawa University aiming to promote

cooperation with the youth in the eastern region. Similar MoUs are

under preparation in other regions.

the AAU MoU The Dire Dawa University MoU

In recent months, the EU Delegation to Ethiopia and the EUIC have already promoted

ERASMUS+ programme in various occasions. These include the following: Alliance Ethio-

Française Campus France event at the Addis Ababa University on 23 March 2017; The AIESEC

Youth Speak Forum on 31 March 2017 and "Tukul du Livre" – European Book Festival on 23 and

24 April 2017.

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Interview with AIESEC Ethiopia's Vice President on the YouthSpeak Forum

The interview was done with Ms. Uwara Ekanem – National

Vice President in the Partnership Development of AIESEC in

Ethiopia, and one of the YouthSpeak Forum coordinators.

AIESEC is an international youth-led organisation striving to

achieve peace and the fulfilment of humankind's potential by

activating leadership qualities in youth through learning from

practical experiences in challenging environments. As an

organisation, AIESEC intends to activate future leaders to

become change agents. AIESEC is driven by its organisational

values and ethical behaviour. They work towards contributing to the resolution of global and

community issues.

Question: This YouthSpeak forum was focused on the Sustainable Development Goal

(SDG) and entrepreneurship. How do these topics relate to AIESEC as an international

students association?

Ms. Uwara: The YouthSpeak forum powered by AIESEC is an event run by youth for youth. It is a

forum where inspiration and collaboration convert into action. This event brings both young and

senior leaders together to form diverse cross-sector spaces touching upon a variety of topics

and aiming at inspiring conversation around pressing global, national, and local issues. It is an

attractive and engaging approach to make AIESEC relevant for any young person, and a way to

get involved with no barrier and low commitment.

The SDGs relate to AIESEC as an international youth-led organisation, because as an

organisation we work towards contributing to the resolution of global and community issues.

These SDGs are issues affecting everyone globally, nationally, and locally. The gains to young

people are:

Networking with like-minded people who care about the issues discussed within the

forum;

Identification of how he/she can contribute via creation of and participation in projects;

A better understanding of the importance of converting inspiration and collaboration into

action.

Question: How can international student exchange – e. g. to the European Union

through programmes such as ERASMUS+ – contribute to the furtherance of these issues

(SDGs and entrepreneurship)? And how could the youth further engage in SDG-related

issues with the EU beyond in the educational field?

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Ms. Uwara: One way could be to promote internship opportunities for young people who seek

to develop themselves and their careers. International student exchange programmes such as

ERASMUS+, AIESEC internships, and others will contribute to achieve some of the SDG goals.

The main SDG target here is: Goal 8 (Decent work and economic growth, Goal 4 (Quality

Education), Goal 2 (Zero hunger), Goal 1 (No poverty), and Goal 3 (Good Health and Well Being).

Providing youth the opportunity to grow and develop by going through practical experiences

and learning-by-doing will enhance their capacities to work on these specific SDGs in the long

run. An intense cross-cultural working environment allows you to increase your self-awareness

and solution orientation, improve communication skills, and develop a global mind-set. The

slogan could be: Become the best version of yourself!

I think the EU can create more practical

opportunities for the youth nationally

for example in Ethiopia; especially for

those who will not have the opportunity

to travel or enjoy these exchange

opportunities for different reasons.

Also, the educational field is targeting

only certain people: it's not open to all

social and educational classes of people,

but only to university students. A

programme which can target all classes

of youth would be a huge improvement for African youth and their societies. I will use AIESEC as

an example; we have what we call Local Volunteers. This concept was developed to engage

youths nationally and locally; especially in our community projects.

Question: How can African students in general and Ethiopian students in particular

benefit from increased academic mobility to European universities?

Ms. Uwara: The reasons and benefits for academic mobility to European universities cannot be

overemphasised. Some of the reasons for my perception are:

Cross-cultural environment: Being a local in an unknown environment and experience

new cultures through education in a diverse and cross-cultural team are particularly

valuable experiences. Step out of your box and broaden your horizon, becoming a citizen

of the World!

Stay Competitive with their international peers who are – in comparison – much more

exposed to these kinds of experiences!

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Interview: The Treaty of Rome – Reflecting the Past to Shape the Future

The interview was done with H.E Giuseppe Mistretta, Ambassador of Italy to Ethiopia.

Question: Celebrating 60 years of work for European unity, peace, and progress: What

does this mean for Italy – a founding member of the Union – as well as for you as a

European citizen?

Amb. Mistretta: Italy attaches the greatest importance to the celebrations of the 60th

anniversary of the signature of the Treaties of Rome, as demonstrated also by the solemn

ceremony for the adoption of the "Declaration of Rome" by 27 EU Member States on 25 March

2017. On this occasion, together with the other five founding members of the European

Community – Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands – and 21 countries

that joined the European Community in the decades following its foundation and the EU

Institutions, we all re-committed to a stronger European Union, through even greater unity and

solidarity among its Member States and peoples. It is crucial to remember the signature of the

Treaties of Rome: its memory should not have a mere historic dimension but it should serve as a

concrete inspiration for the future of the European Union. This is an occasion to appreciate the

many benefits of the European unity over the last decades and also to reflect on those aspects

of our regional integration process that we should improve, in order to bring even stronger

benefits to all the citizens throughout our continent.

Question: More than maybe ever before, the European Union is facing numerous

challenges these days. When looking back to the year 1957 and to 60 years of

cooperation and ever closer integration: is there something we can learn from previous

challenges the EU was confronted with for today?

Amb. Mistretta: Challenges are an integral part of any historic period. When the Founding

fathers of the European Union – including Konrad Adenauer, Alcide De Gasperi, Sicco Mansholt,

Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, Paul-Henri Spaak, Altiero Spinelli – started to actively work for

this very ambitious integration process, Europe was literally a destroyed continent. It still

suffered from the deep physical and moral scars of two global conflicts, with their appalling

atrocities. The Romans used to say "Per aspera ad astra", that can be translated as "Through

hardship to the stars". Europe currently faces many challenges, to mention only the main ones:

terrorism, unemployment, economic stagnation, unbalanced migratory flows. The history of the

European Union demonstrates that these challenges can be better managed if we stand united

and if we join forces. The core European values (based on solidarity, democracy, free thought,

human rights and tolerance) and the essence of the European way of life (based on free

movement of people, goods and ideas) will get stronger when we stand united and we avoid the

easy temptation of selfish nationalism and protectionism. The difficulties we face today are

different, but the main elements of the medicine to cure it should be the same as 60 years ago.

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Question: In 1957, the memory of a devastating World War was still present in the

people's minds; a European community and economic cooperation could essentially serve

as a counter-image and vision for the future. What vision does the EU have today, and

does it still have a strong counter-image against which it pursues its goal of European

unity?

Amb. Mistretta: Luigi Einaudi in 1947 said that Europe "is an idea of freedom against

intolerance, an idea of voluntary cooperation for the common good against brute force". The

Founding Fathers had an incredibly farsighted inspiration: they understood that an increasing

unity could be the only way to prevent and counter the negative and extreme aspects of

nationalism that had destroyed Europe from 1914 to 1918 and from 1939 to 1945. They were

getting their inspiration from the rich and positive cultural heritage of the European continent

during the first half of the 20th century and from over 2.500 years of European culture. Our

deep and incredibly rich moral and cultural European heritage needs to inspire the future of our

continent also to tackle in the most effective way the many challenges we face today.

If we fully understand and appreciate the continuity between this European cultural heritage,

the ideas and vision of the Founding Fathers, the spirit of the Treaties of Rome, of the European

Economic Community and, later, of the European Union, we will not have difficulties to foresee

and prepare our common future. This could be true also in order to avoid a "bureaucratic" vision

of the European Union that can foster populism, nationalism or Euroscepticism. I wish to recall

that the word Europe comes from the Greek mythology, which is at the very heart of the history

of European civilization. We need to inspire our action from the values that we inherited from

our Greek, Roman and Judeo-Christian roots that allowed our continent to reach the wonderful

heights of Dante Alighieri in the Middle Ages, of Humanism, Renaissance, the English and French

Revolutions and the Enlightenment. The core of our European values and spirit are in this

common heritage that needs to be reinterpreted to face and overcome the many challenges of

today’s Europe. This heritage should also inspire the action of the European Institutions for the

benefit of the peoples, for whom they were established.

No European nation, on its own, can guarantee the effective independence of its decisions.

Considering the dimension and scale of the issues, no return to old forms of national

sovereignty can assure peace, security, well-being and prosperity to European citizens. No

European nation alone will ever be able to stand on the international stage, expecting to

influence events. It is as true today as it was sixty years ago: we need a united Europe to serve

our Continent's development and prosperity, which are indissolubly bound up with our

collective capacity to make our voices heard on the world stage, asserting the values, identities

and interests of our people.

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Question: What implications do these 60 years of European cooperation and peace in

large parts of Europe have for African countries in general, and for Ethiopia in particular?

Amb. Mistretta: The central element of the history of the European integration process that

could be very interesting and useful for African countries, including Ethiopia, is the relevance

and the benefits of regional integration. At the heart of the European Union ideal is the need to

ensure peace and to prevent conflict through unity and common economic interest. Gradual

and constant economic integration was identified by the Founding Fathers as a means to reach

this highly political and ambitious objective, i. e. peace and security. We can consider the

European Union as the greatest “peace initiative”, the largest space of freedom, the most

significant political and institutional experiment in the world.

The many challenges facing Africa in the field of peace and security also today could be

prevented and solved through a similar systematic, gradual but ambitious integration process.

This is the core objective of the African Union and of the various Regional Economic

Communities in the continent. Ethiopia, host country of the African Union and the leading

country in the Horn of Africa, plays a central role for the promotion of peace, security and

stability in the region. The very positive experience of the European integration process and

mechanisms could be critically used as a source of inspiration for the regional integration

process in the Horn of Africa, in particular in the framework of IGAD. Of course, it is neither

possible nor desirable to replicate in the Horn of Africa in an automatic manner processes and

mechanisms that were initiated for a different socioeconomic, cultural and political context, but

the fundamental elements of the European integration process could indeed serve the interests

of this region. The continent needs more integration in order to strengthen each and every

country and, therefore, to promote sustainable development and to ensure peace and security

in the long term.

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Interview with Marc Szaryk on the Tukul du Livre – EU Book Festival

The interview was carried out with Mr. Marc

Szaryk who coordinated the Alliance Ethio-

Française the "Tukul du Livre" project for three

months. Mr. Szaryk is a cultural mediator with a

lot of experience in museums and contemporary

art spaces. The idea he continuously follows in

his work is trying to bring people closer to

different cultures – ancient or new.

Following this inspiration, the "Tukul du Livre" is

an international book festival, which gives a great space to French language, but also to the

European Union, the European cultural institutes, and local stakeholders. The three main targets

are to give people the possibility to discover publications, to meet the writers, to give students an

opportunity to familiarise themselves with books and to promote reading culture.

Question: The "Tukul du Livre" – Can you recall how this idea came into being, and what

was the idea behind organising the event?

Mr. Szaryk: The "Tukul du Livre" aims to promote the book as an object of gathering, as it allows

new ideas to emerge, be it dreams, poetic expressions or studies and research. This is why the

event must be international and not only a local: we wanted the cultures from different parts of

the world to encounter and create a dialogue. For this year's edition, we wanted to extend the

festival to professionals of the publication industry and one afternoon was devoted to them

through our speakers, guests, and networking moments.

Question: What role does the festival play in the cultural work of the Alliance? Does it

mainly relate to France, or does it also carry and convey a European idea?

Mr. Szaryk: The book culture and its promotion is a new direction that the Alliance has been

taking for more than one year now. The first festival was organised last year, followed by this

year's new edition. Another major project in this regard is the ongoing construction of the new

library which will open soon. So the idea is to promote the book in all its varieties. France is not

alone to fulfil this ambition: All our colleagues from the European and cultural centres,

embassies, and the European Union have to be there as we all share the same objective.

Question: How do you see the potential of the Tukul du Livre or similar events, and how

could the EU Member States play a more active role in it?

Mr. Szaryk: The potential is huge, as there are millions of people living in Addis Ababa and

comparatively very few bookshops. So the demand really exists – some initiatives from other

stakeholders prove that we are not the only ones to believe in this idea. We have to work on

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the importance of diversity. It is important to mobilise other parts of the world, such as other

African countries, Asia, etc. We all have to work towards this goal, bring more books, more

writers, editors, and researchers in. This has to be a collaborative work in the long term. This

year, also several Latin American embassies joint our event.

Question: How would you assess the success of this year's festival? Are there any ideas

that came up this year which you would like to take up during next year's event?

Mr. Szaryk: Many things were a success this year. Firstly, the mobilisation of the cultural

centres, European embassies, and the additional focus on South and Central America were

remarkable. As I mentioned earlier, we also want to focus on children, and the area devoted to

them this year was much appreciated and always crowded. Though, we need to prepare a more

specific programme addressing schools for next year. We also want to improve the connections

between the guests, the exhibitions, children, and the books. The EU Delegation organised an

EU Quiz for the second time, and it was very popular.

Question: Which presentation did you personally like the most?

Mr. Szaryk: Personally, I enjoyed the interview done by our collaborator from Portugal with

Chehem Watta, poet from Djibouti. It was a great occasion to meet this amazing writer almost

privately as many people were having lunch at this moment. Also, as it is hard to choose only

one, and even if my Amharic is far from being perfect, I enjoyed the presentations by our

Ethiopian guests, as Mitiku Belachew, Berhanu Gizaw, and Alemayehu Gelagay. They had a

wonderful audience of students and children quietly listening, which is an image that I will

remember.

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Europe Day 2017 – activities

EU Children's Races This year's EU Children's Races was organised on 7 May to mark Europe Day. Several hundred

children ranging from below five years up to below 14 years took part in the race. This year's

race was also accompanied by a drawing competition to raise climate and environment

awareness.

EU Cultural Group visit to Dire Dawa and Harar The EU Cultural Group visited Dire Dawa and Harar on 10-11 May 2017 in order to learn about

the activities of EU Promoting Heritage for Ethiopia's Development (PROHEDEV) project and to

discuss cultural cooperation and heritage conservation.

EU Classical Music Concert On 11 May 2017, the Italian Cultural Institute organised a classical music concert to celebrate

Europe Day 2017 and the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.

Europe Day reception on 12 May 2017 On 12 May 2017, the EU Delegations to African Union and to Ethiopia organised the traditional

Europe Day 2017 reception at the African Union premises.

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Latest Diplomatic Highlights

EU Business Forum in Ethiopia (EUBFE) officially launched On 29 March 2017, the European Union Business Forum in Ethiopia (EUBFE) celebrated its

official launching, following its formal registration as ‘Foreign Investors Association’ under

Ethiopian law. The EUBFE’s main mission is to improve the business environment in Ethiopia in

order to enhance commercial and economic ties between the EU and Ethiopia.

Events promoting ERASMUS+

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of the ERASMUS scholarship programme, the EU Delegation to

Ethiopia shared information about the ERASMUS+ programme facilitating student exchange on

an international level at various events in Addis Ababa. On 23 March, the EU promoted the

programme at the Campus France event at the Addis Ababa University (AAU). On 31 March,

information was given to participants of the YouthSpeak Forum, organised by the international

students' association AIESEC.

Visit of HRVP Mogherini and Commissioner Mimica On 17 March 2017, High Representative for Foreign

Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the

European Commission (HRVP) Federica Mogherini and EU

Commissioner for Development Neven Mimica visited

Ethiopia. HRVP Mogherini met with the Ethiopian Prime

Minister, opposition party members, as well as leaders of

the African Union and IGAD.

Visit of the COAFR delegation From 15 to 17 March, the EU Delegation to Ethiopia received

the visit of 20 Member States delegates of the Council Africa

Working Group (COAFR) in Brussels who had meetings with

Ethiopian, African Union, and IGAD stakeholders.

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International Women's Day celebrations On 10 March, Ambassador Chantal Hebberecht attended the event marking the International

Women's Day organised by the Ethiopian National Disability Network (ENDAN) at the Ethiopian

National Cultural Centre. In her remarks, she expressed "the continued EU commitment to

supporting the movement for gender equality in Ethiopia and called upon all stakeholders not to

stop fighting all kinds of discriminations against women, persons with disabilities and for respect

of gender equality."

EU Network of Cultural Institutions (EUNIC) Africa meeting On 29-31 March 2017, the EU Delegation to Ethiopia participated actively in the Africa meeting

of EUNIC network hosted by Goethe Institute in Addis Abeba.

Visit of EU Special Representative Stavros Lambrinidis From 4 to 6 April 2017, EU Special Representative for

Human Rights, Stavros Lambrinidis, visited Ethiopia

and met with numerous government and political

party representatives, as well as with civil society

stakeholders and international partners. Upon his

visit Lambrinidis launched the first EU-Ethiopia

Strategic Engagement event – the Sectoral Dialogue

on Human Rights and Governance.

Tukul du Livre – EU Book Festival On 23 and 24 April, the 2nd edition of "Tukul du Livre" –

European Book Festival was organised at the Alliance

Ethio-Française. The festival promoted literature,

reading culture, and publishing of books in Ethiopia. The

members of the EU Network of Cultural Institutions

(EUNIC) and other EU embassies cooperated to make

the festival a success. The EU Delegation organised an

EU Quiz for children and youngsters, and informed the

visitors about the ERASMUS+ programme and possibilities of academic mobility to Europe.

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World Press Freedom Day 3 May marks the World Press Freedom Day that was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in

1993. Freedom of press and freedom of expression are fundamental values of the EU and

preconditions of any democratic society. Paying tribute to the free press and journalists, the EU

Delegation to Ethiopia marked this day with a panel discussion on 4 May. International

correspondents and local journalists from newspapers and television, from private and public

media participated in the discussion. The active discussion focussed on prospects and chances,

but also impediments and limitations of the Ethiopian media sector. The participants touched

upon a broad variety of topics, among them the issue of financial and economic independence

of media outlets, government interference and restrictions, lack of professionalisation and

institutionalisation, and possible avenues to remedy these problems.

EU promotes food security through Productive Safety Nets

Programme (PSNP)

EU Ambassador, Chantal Hebberecht, and State Minister of MoANR, Ato Damene Darota, opened on 29 May 2017 the one week long Federal Joint Review and Implementation Support Mission (JRIS) of the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP). The EU held the chairmanship of the PSNP working group in the first half of 2017.

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Did You Know?

Did you know that the colourful and mystical artwork in front of the EU Delegation was designed

by Ethiopian curator Meskerem Assegued and artist Elias Sime?

Back in 2006 the Ambassador to the European Commission in Ethiopia, Tim Clark, asked Mrs.

Meskerem to come up with public art concept for the Europe Day celebration in Addis Ababa.

The mosaic she suggested would represent "uncelebrated creatures who contribute a great deal

to the eco system." Elias Sime – who was commissioned to create it – created a large mosaic of

a caterpillar with cocoon and butterflies, a Nile crocodile, a hatching turtle, a resting porcupine,

and a frog eating a fly on the separating strip of Cape Verde Road. The then president of the

European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, inaugurated the artwork on 9 May 2006, the

mayor of Addis Ababa, Brehanu Deressa, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Seyum Mesfin, were

also present at the inauguration.