EU/Afghanistan Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development

The Committee on Foreign Affairs adopted the report by Anna Elżbieta FOTYGA (ECR, PL) on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, of the other part.

The committee recommended that the European Parliament give its consent to the conclusion of the agreement. It also adopted a report containing a non-legislative motion for a resolution on the draft Council decision on the conclusion of the agreement.

In July 2011, the Foreign Affairs Council expressed its willingness to negotiate an agreement with Afghanistan that would reflect its long-term commitment to the country’s development. In November 2011, the Council adopted a Decision authorising the Commission and the High Representative to negotiate a Cooperation Agreement on Partnership and Development (CAPD) with Afghanistan.

After three rounds of negotiations that went on until November 2012, talks were resumed in 2015, with the new Afghan Government. The fourth and final round of negotiations took place in Brussels on 29 April 2015 and was concluded successfully. The two sides initialled the Agreement in Kabul on 2 July 2015.

The agreement is the first contractual relationship between the European Union and Afghanistan. It includes provisions on political dialogue and on cooperation in a broad range of areas. It draws on the EU’s standard political clauses on human rights and the International Criminal Court, and includes commitments related to the rights of women and children.