EU-Africa Summit Series

On 17th and 18th of February, the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) met for the long-awaited summit. But since the event was planned back in 2020, the world has been ravaged by a pandemic that has stalled a decade of continuous growth and human capital improvement on the African continent.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Europe’s future wellbeing will depend more and more on the future wellbeing of its closest neighbour, Africa. So, can this summit still do what it originally set out to—and what it must set a course for— and reset the EU’s relationship with Africa as a “true partnership of equals”?

In this blog series, CGD colleagues present proposals on the joint priorities set out by the AU and the EU and offer commentary on whether a meaningful reconstruction of the relationships between the two continents is likely to materialise.

More from the Series

Blog Post
Lagos to Mombasa: Was the AU-EU Summit a Success?
W. Gyude Moore
March 10, 2022
Malado Kaba of Falémé Conseil and Inge Kaul of the Hertie School join Gyude to discuss the commitments made at the long-awaited AU-EU summit, the ways in which the participants were portrayed, and whether issues beyond aid, such as research, innovation, and trade, got the attention they deserved.&nb...
Blog Post
AU-EU Summit Takeaways: Five Ways to Turn the Rhetoric of an ‘Equal Partnership’ into Practice
Inge Kaul
March 03, 2022
What has this year’s EU/AU summit actually achieved in terms of resetting the relationship? And what lessons can be learned from what worked and did not work at the 6th summit to enable the parties to do better at the 7th meeting in two years’ time? 
Blog Post
A Key Decision for EU Donors: Will They Help the African Development Bank Do More Infrastructure Finance?
Nancy Lee
and
Mauricio Cardenas Gonzalez
February 16, 2022
Despite the announcement of the “billions to trillions” vision over six years ago—there is no upward trend in the overall volume of public-private financing for infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa. The EU is region best placed to help change this. 
Blog Post
Upgrading the Africa-EU Digital Relationship
Teki Akuetteh
and
Michael Pisa
February 15, 2022
Greater integration of Africa and the European Union’s (EU) digital markets would be a boon to both regions. But to achieve this, both regions would have to adapt. 
Blog Post
African Vaccine Manufacturing with EU support: Addressing Demand Uncertainties is Crucial for Success
Amanda Glassman
and
Prashant Yadav
February 15, 2022
Last week, the European Union and its member states placed a “European global health strategy” at the top of their shared agenda. And as part of the EU-Africa summit this week in Brussels, the EU is highlighting its support for regional manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccine via the African Union’s Partn...
Blog Post
What a True Partnership of Equals Would Mean for the European Union and African Union
Malado Kaba
February 15, 2022
After it’s cancellation in 2020, the European Union (EU)-African Union (AU) Summit is finally scheduled to begin on February 17th, 2022. But much has changed in the last two years. The COVID-19 pandemic still lingers and there is a staggering need for a sustainable post-pandemic recovery plan in Afr...
Blog Post
Decolonising EU-Africa Relations Is A Pre-Condition For A True Partnership Of Equals
Shada Islam
February 15, 2022
The upcoming EU-Africa summit is a welcome step towards upgrading ties. But a true partnership of equals between the two continents requires a decolonization of relations between the EU and Africa.