In a meeting in Brussels on the occasion of the Joint EU-Africa Summit on 1 April 2014, the Representatives of the European Commission and of the African Union Commission signed a Cooperative arrangement for the development of a long-term cooperation in the area of Earth Observation.
This agreement
- Formalizes the recognition of the essential and strategic role that Earth Observation (EO) plays in supporting sustainable development.
- Emphasizes the importance of establishing a coherent framework for the development of EO activities in Africa.
- Focuses on exchange of experiences, sharing of data and access to services of common interest, in link with the European Earth Observation Programme COPERNICUS.
- Recommends:
- The implementation of these three thematic areas under two services, namely, Natural and Water Resources; and Marine and Coastal Areas, with 23 applications.
- To build upon the achievements of predecessor Programs (MESA, AMESD and PUMA projects across Sub-Saharan Africa)
- To coordinate with other actions foreseen in the Joint Africa-Europe Strategy (JAES) Roadmap 2014-2017, aimed at contributing to Climate Change and Environmental Management under Priority 5 of the JAES as agreed by the EU-Africa Summit in 2014.
The agreement was signed by (for the European Commission) the Vice-President for Industry and Entrepreneurship and the Commissioner for Development and (for the African Union Commission) the Commissioner for Human Resources Science and Technology
