Europe-Africa: Together towards justainability

The years 2020 an 2021 will in many ways set the course for medium- and long-term cooperation between the European Union and Africa. Given the global and interwoven nature of the challenges the both continents face, as Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, we advocate treating each other as global partners. Only through close and fair European-African relations, it is possible to achieve a more just and sustainable world, to move together towards justainability.

In the past, there has long been a focus on migration and security. The view of Africa as a whole is often one of a continent in deficit; opportunities of collaboration are not grasped, qualities overseen. The question is: What does the EU offer in 2020 as equal cooperation with African states that goes beyond mere security interests and prospects for investment? An invitation for a genuine political partnership between the neighboring continents? #WhatsTheOffer

We invite our African partners to join us in bringing in our expertise in a targeted manner throughout the year. The question "what’s the offer?" is in fact of crucial importance for both sides. The project of justainability relies on a common approach of committed partners who acknowledge their responsibility and act accordingly. The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung will monitor and accompany the period closely - also with a view to involving civil society voices on both continents. We have in particular considered the following procedures:

First, this March, the Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, presented the first version of a new EU-Africa Strategy. Although it is not yet clear what role it may play within or outside the Africa-EU Partnership framework, it is a project being promoted at the highest level in the EU and will hence aim at providing some guidance for future foreign policy towards Africa. The strategy is expected to be adopted by the European Council in the run-up to the EU-AU Summit now scheduled for 2021.

Second, there is a strong need for a new EU-Sahel Strategy. It is currently still open whether this is a development policy priority or a security policy priority. The region is politically very unstable, there are ongoing violent conflicts and it urgently needs coherent and effective approaches for stabilization.

Third, Germany has announced that Africa will be a priority of Germany’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began on July 1st. Further discussions on the new EU-Africa-Strategy will be necessary during the presidency. It is therefore all the more important to understand the processes and their correlations.

Fourth, the EU-AU Summit which will be held in Brussels and has now been rescheduled for early 2021.

Fifthly, new major European policy instruments are being established, including NDICI (Neighborhood, Development and international Cooperation Instrument) and EPF (European Peace Facility). The programming of these instruments and the way Africa will be included will have strong impacts on the future European-African cooperation.

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung is accompanying these processes not only through several events in Brussels and Berlin, but also digitally on this website. For us it is clear that we can only create a justainable future together with our neighboring continent. Therefore, this website will serve as a platform to regularly present our own perspectives and expectations and we invite our African partners to join us. And as mentioned at the beginning, we will closely monitor which forms and contents of cooperation beyond migration and security will be brought to the negotiating table. #WhatsTheOffer