COVID-19 In-depth Analysis: Continuity and Change in European Union-Africa Relations on Peace and Security
ECDPM / Blogs

Continuity and Change in European Union-Africa Relations on Peace and Security

The European Union (EU) and the African Union (AU) maintain a long-standing partnership on peace and security which can be qualified as constructive. It is largely based on joint interests and objectives and is less contentious compared to other more challenging topics, such as migration and trade. The EU’s new seven-year budget for 2021 – 2027 introduces new ways of working which impact on how the EU will engage on peace and security in Africa. Most notable in this regard is the establishment of the European Peace Facility (EPF) which can potentially undermine the AU’s role in leading and coordinating peace and security measures on the continent. Moreover, these new developments take place against the backdrop of an overall troubled EU-AU relationship which suffers not only from the divergences in interests in key areas such as migration, trade and climate but also from the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, and global geopolitics.

Collective investment in trade and digital infrastructure: A new pathway to silencing the guns in Africa
Covid-19 / ECDPM

Collective investment in trade and digital infrastructure: A new pathway to silencing the guns in Africa

In this guest contribution for ECDPM, Dr Jide Martyns Okeke argues that collective African leadership and deliberate investments in boosting intra-African trade and digital transformation could accelerate the quest for silencing the guns on the continent.

COVID-19 vaccines: The challenges of protecting Africa’s fragile regions
Covid-19 / ECDPM

COVID-19 vaccines: The challenges of protecting Africa’s fragile regions

This briefing note looks at the challenges ahead for large-scale vaccination, as part of our series of looking at the longer term effects of COVID-19 on conflict and fragility in Africa. We ask some of the hard questions about the potential repercussions for highly fragile situations in Africa and what it might mean for the European Union’s role in the global response to the pandemic.

Implications of COVID-19 on East Africa–EU Partnership on Migration and Forced Displacement
Covid-19 / IAI

Implications of COVID-19 on East Africa–EU Partnership on Migration and Forced Displacement

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the current state and prospects of partnership between the East African countries and the European Union on migration and forced displacement. The pandemic has exacerbated the root causes of migration and forced displacement. Read here about the implications and the steps should taken to move forward.

How European financial institutions can work better together for sustainable and green (co-)investment in times of COVID-19
Covid-19 / ECDPM

How European financial institutions can work better together for sustainable and green (co-)investment in times of COVID-19

The unprecedented scale of the crisis generated by the COVID-19 pandemic calls for greater empowerment of international, European and regional financial institutions for development, development finance institutions (DFIs) and public development banks. They all need to step up their efforts, to ‘build back better’, in a greener, more inclusive and gender-sensitive manner. This paper suggests ways to do that, adjusting the current business model of financial institutions for development to align and coordinate European investments for development.

The 2021 ENP South Communication: A ‘renewed partnership’ but ‘old issues’ remain
DIE / Blogs

The 2021 ENP South Communication: A ‘renewed partnership’ but ‘old issues’ remain

The European Commission DG NEAR and the office of the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy released a new policy statement (‘Communication’) ‘Renewed Partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood: A New Agenda for the Mediterranean’ on 9 February 2021. The Communication was accompanied by a staff working document ‘Renewed Partnership with the Southern Neighbourhood Economic and Investment Plan for the Southern Neighbours’. The priorities outlined in the Communication and the investment Plan are to be concretised during 2021 as the new ‘Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI), which will finance the EU’s international cooperation, is programmed during 2021. 

Putting ‘Policy Coherence for Peace’ at the Heart of the EU’s Approach to External Crises and Conflicts
DIE / Blogs

Putting ‘Policy Coherence for Peace’ at the Heart of the EU’s Approach to External Crises and Conflicts

The adoption of the EU’s Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) 2021-2027 will bring profound changes to the set-up of the EU’s instruments for crisis prevention, conflict management and peacebuilding in fragile and conflict-affected countries, which aim to improve the EU’s ability to engage in these contexts. However, reforming the EU’s financial instruments alone is not sufficient to address key underlying challenges. What is needed is an overarching strategic framework that puts policy coherence for sustainable peace at the centre of EU crisis prevention, conflict management and peacebuilding. 

Building resilience to COVID-19: Next steps for the EU-AU digital partnership
ECDPM / ODI / Blogs

Building resilience to COVID-19: Next steps for the EU-AU digital partnership

It is vital for the EU-AU partnership to improve digital infrastructure development in Africa, particularly expanding fixed broadband coverage and access, as well as to improve African firms and consumers’ access to e-commerce platforms and provide targeted support for digital transformation in key sectors such as agriculture.