AU bars EU from negotiating with individual African country

The African Union (AU) has resolved that European Union (EU) will henceforth no longer negotiate with any individual African country but with the union as a body. The Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, stated this in Abuja while addressing newsmen on the outcome of the 28th AU Summit of Head of States and Government. "AU is saying henceforth if EU was going to negotiate, it should only negotiate with the union. "But if any of the EU member countries wants to negotiate with any African country individually that is acceptable, but not EU as a block to negotiate with any African country,” he said. The minister said the summit resolved that it would not be willing to accept representation of the head of states at summit. The summit, according to Onyeama, stressed that it is mandatory for the president or his vice to attend the meeting. He said another issue that was discussed was the issue of reform of the summit where a committee headed by the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame to look at how to cut down the union operations The committee he said was to look at the number of different sub organisation, its agencies and make it leaner to get to a stage that is manageable. He said that another issue was the adoption of ECOWAS, WEMOWA model of funding the AU which is 0.2 per cent of eligible import tax of any countries. He said the organisation reckoned that using the model; it will have four times the amount it needs to cover its budget. He said that in doing that it was agreed that the surplus should be lodged with African Development Bank rather than returning it unnecessary.