ETTG – Open Society Foundations
Timeline: 3 years (2024-2025-2026)
This ETTG-OSF project aims to address the challenges facing the Africa-Europe partnership in a time of multiple crises. Recent events, like the Ukraine war, have exposed tensions and highlighted the need for a more balanced and effective partnership.
The Issues: Tensions and a Shifting Landscape
The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and the war in Ukraine have exacerbated underlying tensions in Africa-Europe relations. Divergent responses to these crises and a changing global order with new alliances have led to a sense of disillusionment on both sides. Trust has been eroded by issues like unequal treatment of refugees and perceived patronising attitudes.
The Goal: A More Balanced Partnership
This project proposes a new approach to the Africa-Europe partnership, focusing on mutual interests and equal footing. The project will analyse areas of disagreement and identify opportunities for collaboration on key issues like peace and security, climate change, and sustainable development.
Core Thematic Areas:
The project translates its research into action by delivering targeted background papers, high-level policy dialogues, and concrete recommendations. Our work directly approached five critical thematic pillars:
- Green Industrialisation & Just Transition: Exploring how Africa and Europe can strengthen partnerships for green industrialisation, particularly in the wake of shifting global politics like the US elections.
- Climate Finance & Energy Partnerships: Analysing energy cooperation and climate finance mechanisms, with a specific focus on the EU-North Africa partnership.
- The Security-Development Nexus: Addressing political instability in the Sahel. Our outputs emphasise that tailored peace-security-economic initiatives and strategic patience are vital. Open communication with military governments is crucial, and lifting sanctions on places like Niger is often more effective than measures that hinder civilians.
- Migration Agenda: Driving a new, mutually beneficial EU-Africa migration partnership forward.
- AU-EU Governance & Decolonial Perspectives: Reflecting on 25 years of parliamentary AU-EU relations, acknowledging shared history, and understanding these relations from a decolonial perspective to ensure a clear strategy for internal cohesion.
The Approach: Research, Dialogue, and Dissemination
The project will translate into the following outputs:
| A background paper examining the challenges and opportunities for a stronger partnership. |
| Five regional policy dialogues in Africa involving policymakers, civil society, and the private sector. |
| Two European events to share findings with policymakers. |
| A final report with concrete recommendations for a more effective AU-EU partnership. |
| Dissemination activities to raise awareness among policymakers and the public in both continents. |
This three-year project (September 2023 – September 2026) aims to contribute to a more balanced and effective Africa-Europe partnership, addressing critical issues in a complex global landscape.
- As political instability persists in the Sahel, tailored and combined peace-security-economic initiatives from the EU and AU are required.
- Open communication with military governments is crucial, testing Europe’s global power in a multipolar context. Strategic patience is vital to avoid regional collapse.
- Rebooting EU-AU relations needs a clear African strategy for internal cohesion and equal partnerships with external powers.
- Lifting sanctions on Niger and addressing root causes like poverty and weak development are more effective than sanctions hindering civilians. Cooperation is key to tackling systemic issues.
