Article 2 Policy objectives

The mandate of the EUSR shall be based on the policy objectives of the Union in relation to the Horn of Africa as set out in its strategic framework adopted on 14 November 2011 to contribute actively to regional and international efforts to achieve lasting peace, security and development in the region. The EUSR shall furthermore aim to enhance the quality, intensity, impact and visibility of the Union’s multi-faceted engagement in the Horn of Africa.

Priority shall continue to be given to Somalia, to the regional dimensions of the conflict and to piracy which has its root causes in the instability of Somalia.

With regard to Somalia, the Union’s policy objectives aim, through the coordinated and effective use of all its instruments, to promote a return for Somalia and its people to a path of peace and prosperity. To that end, the Union supports the role of the United Nations (UN) in facilitating a credible and inclusive Somali-led political process and will continue to contribute actively, together with regional and international partners, to the implementation of the Djibouti Peace Agreement and its post-transition arrangements.

Regarding piracy, the EUSR’s role shall be to contribute to developing and implementing a coherent, effective and balanced Union approach to piracy originating in Somalia, encompassing all aspects of Union action, particularly in the political, security and development areas and to be the Union’s key interlocutor on piracy for the international community, including the Eastern and Southern Africa and Indian Ocean (ESA/IO) region.