First African Union Passports issued to African leaders

The African Union passport is going to heads of state, foreign affairs ministers and top diplomats.

Opening Session of the 27th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union. Picture: Twitter @_AfricanUnion.

PRETORIA – The first two copies of the African Union passport have been issued at the African Union (AU) summit in the Rwandan capital of Kigali.

The recipients were Chad's President Idris Deby, as chairperson of the AU, and summit host President Paul Kagame.

AU Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says the continental body has been overwhelmed by calls from Africans wanting the new passport.

The African passport is going to heads of state, foreign affairs ministers and top diplomats.

Dlamini-Zuma says nations should accept the challenge to issue the African passports to their respective nationals.

She’s addressing her last summit before coming home to get involved in domestic politics.

She challenging the next commission to focus on achieving all indicators towards the AU blueprint Agenda 2063.

While Europe fractures, Africa takes a step towards a single passport.

The e-Passport will allow a limited number of officials to enjoy visa-free access AU member states.

Picture: Wikimedia Commons.

A single passport, making the movement of people, trade and ideas across an entire continent easier. That’s Europe, right?

Well, later this month, the African Union (AU) will launch  the forerunner of its very own single African passport, at a meeting in Kigali, Rwanda. The e-Passport will allow a limited number of officials to enjoy visa-free access to all of the 54 AU member states. The timing is poignant, as Britain looks to negotiate its exit from the European Union.

"[The initiative is a] steady step toward the objective of creating a strong, prosperous and integrated Africa," said chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, in a press release. "Driven by its own citizens and capable of taking its rightful place on the world stage."

AN AU E-PASSPORT

An e-passport was first proposed in 2014, as part of the AU’s long-term vision for the continent. The aim is to create an Africa that is "integrated" and "united". They view the introduction of a single e-passport as central to this, enabling the free movement of people, goods and services across the continent – driving socio-economic growth.

Initially the passport will only be available to African Union heads of state and government, ministers of foreign affairs, and the permanent representatives of AU member states based at the headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

However, the plan is then to roll this out to all citizens of member states. The current timeframe hopes to "realize the dream of visa-free travel for African citizens within their own continent by 2020."

THE BENEFITS OF A SINGLE AFRICAN PASSPORT

While concerns have been raised about security risks, crime and the spread of contagious diseases, a single passport offers significant potential.

Through increased integration across the continent, the AU hope to foster economic growth.

By lowering barriers to movement, the continent can take advantage of its enormous human capital and resource potential.

Levels of trade between African nations are much lower than in other continents. But, as Jacqueline Musiitwa, Founder of the Hoja Law Group, highlighted in blog for the World Economic Forum: “Africa is in a unique position in that it has the chance to trade with an untapped market: itself.”

A single passport also represents a powerful symbol of African unity. Following Brexit, and the threat of a disintegrating European Union, it is a significant step in the opposite direction.

Equally, opening borders would allow African nations to benefit from regional tourism. The World Economic Forum’s Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 emphasised the resilience of tourism in the face of economic shocks, and its power in driving growth.

As the following chart shows, African economies rank poorly on the global scale. However, the sector offers significant opportunities across the continent.

With a burgeoning middle class – expected to reach 1.1bn by 2060, according to Deloitte – extraordinary natural beauty and diverse cultures, tourism offers significant potential for economic growth. Intra-African travel can help the continent take advantage.

‘Do I Need A New Passport?’ And Other Brexit Questions

After Brexit, how will the new development affect people’s personal circumstances and how they will be affected by the UK leaving the European Union.

David Cameron has said he plans to let his successor activate Article 50, which is the point when the clock starts on the negotiations for a Brexit.

Here are some of the other things we’ve been asked about the most.

Will I need a new passport?

You will have noticed that the top line on the front of the UK passport says “European Union”. Because the UK will remain a member of the EU for as long as it takes to negotiate the exit deal, such passports will be valid over that period – so there is no need to worry if you are travelling this summer, for example. After the UK leaves, there will presumably be new British passports that will no longer say “European Union” on them. While no one can say this for sure, it seems likely that the new design would just be phased in as existing passports expire.

Will My Ehic Card Still Work?

The European Health Insurance Card (Ehic) entitles travellers to state-provided emergency medical treatment within the EU country they are visiting. It works in any EU country as well as Switzerland and the European Economic Area (EEA) countries Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland. It will continue to work for as long as the UK is in the EU – so for at least as long as Article 50 negotiations take. After that, it is possible that the UK will have negotiated a deal to retain preferential access to the single market, as the EEA countries have, which would mean the continued use of Ehic. Alternatively, the UK already has reciprocal deals with a number of countries, including Australia and New Zealand, under which visitors can receive free urgent treatment. It could agree similar deals with EU countries.

Will I Need A Visa To Travel To The EU?

Again, while the UK remains part of the EU you will still be able to travel freely in the EU. It is possible that the UK will accept the continuation of free movement in order to retain preferential access to the single market, in which case you will continue to be able to travel freely in the EU. If not, while there may be limitations on British nationals’ ability to live and work in EU countries, it seems unlikely that those countries would want to deter tourists. There are many countries outside the EEA that British citizens can visit for up to 90 days without needing a visa and it is possible that such arrangements could be negotiated with European countries.

What About My EU Driving Licence?

Your driving licence features an EU flag in the top left corner with “UK” in the middle of it. The information on it is the same as those used by drivers everywhere in the EU. As with passports, the licence will remain valid while negotiations take place because the UK will still be part of the EU. What happens after that will depend on the results of those negotiations, but one possible outcome is that a new design will be phased in as old documents expire.

What Will It Mean For People Living In Other Parts Of The EU?

During the campaign, there were no suggestions from the Leave campaign that there would be mass deportations of the 3 million EU nationals living in the UK. There is unlikely to be any change to their status while negotiations on Brexit are under way and it is generally expected that they will be able to stay after the UK leaves the EU. The same is true of the estimated 1.2 million UK nationals living elsewhere in the EU. But while they are likely to be able to stay where they are, there are details that will emerge as part of the negotiations.

For example, at the moment, UK nationals claiming their state pensions in other EU countries benefit from annual increases. The same is true of some other countries outside the EU with whom the UK has social security agreements. But in many other countries, UK pensioners do not receive increases each year, which means that inflation reduces their spending power. It is not certain that UK pensioners in the EU would continue to get their annual increases. Similarly, some UK nationals living elsewhere in the EU are entitled to state healthcare funded by the UK government, which would be open to negotiation.

‘What Happens To My Italian Wife?’

It seems unlikely that your wife will be forced to return to Italy – nobody has suggested there will be deportations of people already living and working in the UK. If there were to be problems, she may be eligible to apply for British citizenship as she is married to a British citizen and has been in the country for more than three years.

Bringing Booze Back

When we leave the EU – will duty limits be reintroduced? For example, will we be restricted to just six bottles of wine being brought back from our trip to France?
Unless there is an agreement in the negotiations, customs limits are likely to be reintroduced. At the moment, the limits for bringing wine into the UK from outside the EU is four litres, which is just over five bottles.