Beyond Brussels and Addis Ababa: How to make the AU-EU partnership work

This commentary, authored by four policy institutes, evaluates the partnership between the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) ahead of the sixth EU-AU Summit. It argues that for the partnership to move beyond institutional circles in Brussels and Addis Ababa, both parties must shift away from donor-recipient models toward a more balanced relationship based on African ownership, private sector engagement, and a recognition of divergent interests in areas such as the green transition and digitalization.

• The AU-EU partnership faces a persistent difficulty in translating joint initiatives into actual impact, particularly in areas where interests diverge, such as migration and the green transition.
• The green transition is identified as the most challenging area of cooperation because the EU focuses on a worldwide net-zero goal and transforming its carbon-intensive economy, while Africa seeks equitable low-carbon development and adaptation to climate risks.
• For climate cooperation to succeed, the EU must acknowledge global climate injustice, provide additional financing, and support a just transition that allows African countries to benefit through industrialization, new jobs, and potentially alternative decarbonization pathways or the use of natural gas.
• Investment initiatives in Africa have seen only partial success; the authors argue that success requires moving away from a public sector, donor-recipient approach toward full African ownership and the active engagement of the private sector through joint platforms and harmonized legal frameworks.
• While digitalization offers promise, Africa lacks a defined approach and faces risks regarding job losses, data protection, and artificial intelligence policies, particularly in countries with poor governance.

APA

Floyd, R., Yawson, F., Teevan, C., Medinilla, A., Apiko, P., Van Hove, K., Ali, A. A., Jaïdi, L., Zaoui, A., Handy, P.-S., & Tadesse, S. (2022). Beyond Brussels and Addis Ababa: How to make the AU-EU partnership work. African Center for Economic Transformation. https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/insights-ideas/commentary/beyond-brussels-and-addis-ababa-how-to-make-the-au-eu-partnership-work/

Chicago

Floyd, Rob, Freda Yawson, Chloe Teevan, Alfonso Medinilla, Philomena Apiko, Kathleen Van Hove, Abdelaaziz Ait Ali, et al. Beyond Brussels and Addis Ababa: How to make the AU-EU partnership work. African Center for Economic Transformation, 2022. https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/insights-ideas/commentary/beyond-brussels-and-addis-ababa-how-to-make-the-au-eu-partnership-work/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Floyd |first1=Rob |last2=Yawson |first2=Freda |last3=Teevan |first3=Chloe |last4=Medinilla |first4=Alfonso |last5=Apiko |first5=Philomena |last6=Van Hove |first6=Kathleen |last7=Ali |first7=Abdelaaziz Ait |last8=Jaïdi |first8=Larabi |last9=Zaoui |first9=Akram |display-authors=etal |title=Beyond Brussels and Addis Ababa: How to make the AU-EU partnership work |publisher=African Center for Economic Transformation |date=15 February 2022 |url=https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/insights-ideas/commentary/beyond-brussels-and-addis-ababa-how-to-make-the-au-eu-partnership-work/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{floyd2022beyond, author = {Floyd, Rob and Yawson, Freda and Teevan, Chloe and Medinilla, Alfonso and Apiko, Philomena and Van Hove, Kathleen and Ali, Abdelaaziz Ait and Jaïdi, Larabi and Zaoui, Akram and Handy, Paul-Simon and Tadesse, Selam}, title = {{Beyond Brussels and Addis Ababa: How to make the AU-EU partnership work}}, publisher = {African Center for Economic Transformation}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://acetforafrica.org/research-and-analysis/insights-ideas/commentary/beyond-brussels-and-addis-ababa-how-to-make-the-au-eu-partnership-work/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }