EU sees trade as bridge to solve perennial problems with Africa

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen speaks during a press conference on Artificial Intelligence (AI) on February 19, 2020 in Brussels. PHOTO | KENZO TRIBOUILLARD | AFP

What you need to know:

  • The details emerged in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this week as 22 commissioners from the European bloc met their counterparts at the African Union.
  • The two blocs say they will still focus on counter-terrorism and good governance, climate change, illegal migration. But trade and investment could be the central theme.

The European Union is adjusting its Africa policy to focus on strengthening trade even as it targets solving the perennial problems of illegal migration and insecurity.

The details emerged in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, this week as 22 commissioners from the European bloc met their counterparts at the African Union.

It was the 10th such meeting but officials spoke less of foreign aid this time and more of partnerships to solve challenges that affect both continents.

The two blocs say they will still focus on counter-terrorism and good governance, climate change, illegal migration. But trade and investment could be the central theme.

“It has become a partnership of equals, where both sides have something to win and both sides have a lot of responsibilities,” European Commission President Ursula Gertrud von der Leyen told an audience at the AU.

“We are aware of the challenges but we are also aware of the common perspective and the common opportunities we want to grasp.”

The two groups of bureaucrats met even as the continent struggled to contain terror merchants in west and east of Africa.

It also came as the European Union pledged an aid package for several countries across the continent.

SECURITY

The Addis Ababa meeting emphasised the four ‘pillars’ crucial to the future of the European Union's cooperation with the AU.

“We, the AU-EU peace and security cluster, agreed to uphold multilateralism and strengthen our partnership in addressing #terrorism, cyber criminality and Artificial Intelligence, climate change, inclusion (for women and youth), elections, justice, human rights, displacements and humanitarian action,” Algerian diplomat Smail Chergui, who serves as AU Commissioner for Peace and Security said.

“We agreed to give priority to youth in our joint efforts to tackle peace, security and development challenges in the Sahel, the Lake Chad Basin, the Horn of Africa and the Great Lakes regions."

The EU has traditionally supported Africa’s security programmes through what is known as the Africa Peace Facility.

Established in 2004, it helps countries respond in time through warnings on conflicts, management of existing ones, protection of civilians' rights and support for local peace keeping programmes.

The EU has spent some €2.7 billion ($2.97 billion, Sh297 billion) since.

Last year, it pledged another €800 million ($879 million, Sh87.9 billion). But the facility is now strained as it serves more areas of concern than before, leaving existing peace keeping missions such as the African Union Mission in Somalia (Amisom) to face funding cuts.

TRADE AGREEMENT

European Commission President von der Leyen said the bloc will tap into Africa’s recent free trade area agreement (AfCTA) to enhance relations.

“Europe is the largest investor in Africa and the largest trade partner to Africa. So there is a lot we have to share – a lot of technologies and expertise. We would like to hear what you expect from our partnership, and how far you are willing to go,” she said.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, the African Union Commission's Chairperson ,said the EU should take advantage of the ACTi to boost investment ties with the continent which can help provide the needed technology transfer.

“Africa has just established a Continental Free Trade Area which intends to be one of the largest markets in the world, and the economy of Africa depends largely on the benefits it can derive from this Area.

“Regional integration requires not only trade policies but also an environment conducive to investment, industrialisation, strong infrastructure connectivity, as well as new technologies that meet the needs of future African markets.”

COMPETITION

The EU is the largest trading bloc for Africa, reaching €300 billion ($329 billion, Sh32.9 trillion) in 2018, with each side buying as much as it sells the other (although Africa mostly exported raw materials).

But it faces competition from China, US and India, who have been fronting a battle for Africa’s attention.

Some experts see the EU’s rethinking of relations with Africa could help it especially in an era where Britain has left the bloc, and the Union faces competition from individual big powers.

Former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta says the two blocs could specifically cooperate on ‘soft power’ issues, and focus on technology and innovations.

“The European Union is more united because of institutions. This is not the case, of course, for African continent,” argued Enrico Letta, former Prime Minister of Italy, now Dean of the Paris School of International Affairs, at a public talk in Nairobi last week on EU’s post-Brexit foreign policy.

“Multilateral institutions are able to live beyond the dimesons of the individual countries. This is why there is a need to have a general relationship both at national level and at multilateral institutions,” he told an audience at celebrations to mark the School’s ten years’ anniversary of links with Kenyan institutions.

MIGRATION ISSUE

The EU hopes to solve the migration problem through what officials say is creation of jobs and skills on the African continent.

Leyen did admit there had been some ‘mistakes’ in previous policies as the number of illegal migrants on leaking boats rose four years ago.

Though she didn’t admit which policies they were, critics had argued that initial measures of providing aid to countries in Africa to have them restrict movement of migrants through their borders wasn’t sufficient.

The EU also enforced a return policy where those caught without papers were returned. Critics argued the deportees would be more motivated to try again once they taste life in Europe.

This time, the union wants to encourage voluntary returns more than forced deportations.

“We are still not where we want to be. We know these topics [and] we have improved but there is a lot to do," Leyen said.

“We have achieved a lot in recent years, also on the topic of fighting smuggling and human trafficking, which disrespects the human dignity. So there, we join forces."