Brussels, Belgium- In a groundbreaking initiative, the African Union (AU) Peer-to-Peer Mission (PTPM) is set to observe the 2024 European Parliament Elections, marking a significant stride in the partnership between the AU and the European Union (EU) on electoral matters and democracy support.
His Excellency Ambassador Bankole Adeoye, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security at the AU, headed the PTPM team, which was met on Thursday by Netherlands Foreign Minister Hanke Bruins Slot in The Hague.
The Dutch foreign minister expressed her country’s enthusiasm for being part of the African Union Peer-To-Peer Mission, aimed at exchanging expertise on election practices.
“I underlined that democratic processes are fundamental to our EU-AU partnership. We can learn from each other’s efforts to support inclusive governance. Now more than ever, we need to work together to strengthen the international order,” Minister Bruins Slot said.
She added, “We also spoke about the Middle East, Ukraine, and regional developments, including the worrying situation in the Sahel, Sudan, and Somalia. It was useful to learn more about the African Union’s efforts and to explore opportunities for enhanced EU-AU cooperation.”
The European Parliament elections are scheduled to take place from June 6-9, 2024.
The PTPM delegation, led by Ambassador Adeoye, comprises 12 delegates from various African electoral stakeholders, including the AU Commission, the Pan-African Parliament, Election Management Bodies, independent electoral experts, and International IDEA.
This unique mission aims to facilitate an exchange between AU and African electoral stakeholders and their European counterparts, focusing on election practices and the European Parliament elections. While not configured as a traditional electoral observation mission, the PTPM will provide an opportunity to compare notes and build on best practices on electoral processes on both continents.
During their visit to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, the delegation will engage with officials from EU institutions, including the European Parliament, the European External Action Service, and the European Commission’s department for International Partnerships.
Additionally, they will meet with government officials from the three EU Member States, think tanks, civil society organizations, and observation missions deployed by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and Election Watch EU.
The PTPM builds upon the commitments from the 19th AU-EU Human Rights Dialogue and is part of the EU-funded “Strengthening Pan-African Capacities for Electoral Observation and Assistance” program, implemented by International IDEA and the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa (EISA) in partnership with the AU’s Governance and Conflict Prevention Directorate.
