The African Union (AU) now has the same status as the EU in the G20. This is an opportunity for better collaboration. To achieve this, Europe must pay more attention to Africa’s concerns
An analysis by the Tanzanian journalist Harrison Kalunga Mwilima, who lives in Berlin
With the acceptance of the AU as a permanent member of the G20 at the New Delhi summit in early September, the organization became the second regional bloc with full membership after the EU. This development comes a year and a half after the sixth EU-AU summit, which took place in Brussels in February 2022 and at which the two confederations agreed on cooperation at the multilateral level in their vision for 2030.
The EU promised to support the reform of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in order to strengthen the emerging countries in the organization. In addition, both sides committed to supporting reform of the UN system, including the Security Council.
Often the EU and especially some of its large member states have influence in these international platforms where African issues could be discussed without African governments sitting at the decision-making table.
How to get the Table.Media newsletter
This analysis lies IPPEN.MEDIA as part of a cooperation with the Africa.Table Professional Briefing before – she had published it first Africa.Table on September 19, 2023.
Receive 30 days free access for further exclusive information from the Table.Media Professional Briefings – the crucial thing for those making decisions in business, science, politics, administration and NGOs.
Different perspectives
The AU and EU shared vision for 2030 outlines challenges, particularly security and migration. However, the two parties perceive these two issues differently.
The AU sees the issue of security as important for facilitating economic development, while the EU sees it as a geopolitical issue to ensure stability in Europe. The EU believes that insecurity in African countries has a negative impact on Europe, for example through illegal migration.
To address the security challenges in Africa, the EU has funded the AU’s African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) mechanisms. It also advocates for other peacebuilding values and norms such as human rights and good governance.
Disappointment after negotiations with the EU
African countries have their own instruments to promote such norms on the continent, such as their own human rights court and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) to promote human rights and good governance. The EU’s promotion of norms is sometimes seen as not reflecting African interests, and such initiatives are perceived by some countries as neo-colonial and paternalistic.
Africa’s main priorities vis-à-vis the EU are trade and economic development. Trade negotiations with Europe, for example, have been a disappointment for many African governments, especially after the EU pushed them to sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), which would introduce free trade with EU countries. Many African countries refused to sign the EPA. They feared that duty-free access for European goods would destroy their local industry.
Interesting alternatives
African countries are now looking for credible partners and places where their concerns are taken seriously. The Brics summit in August was an example of such initiatives. The interest shown by the G20 and the Brics towards Africa should be a wake-up call for the EU, especially if Europe seeks close relations with the AU. The admission of the AU to the G20 could be an opportunity for the EU and AU to truly work together and pursue common interests.
To achieve this, however, Europe must pay more attention to the AU’s concerns and take them seriously. In order for the two blocs to cooperate effectively at the international level, they must break away from the old paternalistic relationship and build a sustainable relationship on an equal basis.
Harrison Kalunga Mwilima is a lecturer and journalist who specializes in relations between Europe and Africa. He is Tanzanian and lives in Berlin. He recently published his book “The European Union and regional integration in East Africa”.
#listen #Africa