We are excited to announce the publication of a new ETTG policy brief titled “Leveraging Green Industrialisation for a Just Transition: Africa-Europe Cooperation.” This insightful brief authored by Damien Barchiche (IDDRI), Alfonso Medinilla (ECDPM), Catherine Kilelu (ACTS), Sébastien Treyer (IDDRI) and Chukwumerije Okereke, (CCCD) offers a comprehensive analysis of the
EU-Africa relations have hardly followed a linear path, but the events of the past two years – namely, Covid-19 and the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine – seemingly put it under additional strain, allowing age-old grievances to come back in full force.
What is the impact of the war in Ukraine on Africa – Europe migration dialogue?
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, UNHCR has recorded more than 7.8 million Ukrainian refugees. This huge movement of people has been met with a very different response to the (poorly labelled) 2015/16 ‘migration crisis’. The activation of the EU’s Temporary Protection Directive has offered legal pathways to protection and enabled fast and effective assistance. Many factors underpin this treatment of Ukrainian refugees in Europe, including Ukraine’s geographic and cultural closeness and its status as an EU accession country.
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has longstanding experience in coordinating and working with donors. The EBRD relationship with donors takes different forms, such as co-financing (e.g., grant support, concessional finance and guarantees), technical assistance and policy dialogues. The focus ranges from strategic considerations to more concrete actions. The relationship can be materialised through donor facilities, such as the Green Climate Fund, or through EBRD-established multi-donor funds, agreements with bilateral donor countries, such as the United States, Switzerland and Japan, or collaborations with the European Union (EU), for example, involving the European Commission and several EU member states.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) cooperates with the European Union (EU), its member states and their development agencies at both the strategic and operational levels. In terms of governance, the EU member states, as shareholders, are members of the EIB Board and of the Advisory Group consulted on the Bank’s outside-EU activities.
The Dutch government has a longstanding and comprehensive cooperation with the Dutch Entrepreneurial Development Bank (FMO) via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy. The cooperation is geared towards catalysing private sector investment for sustainable development impact, including through blended finance. The Dutch government is a founder and majority shareholder of FMO, accounting for 51% of its shares. It is thus at the heart of FMO’s governance. This allows the Dutch government, particularly, the MoFA, to steer and influence FMO operations and ensure that they contribute to the government’s development policy objectives and priorities.
