Negotiating Africa-EU futures amidst geopolitical turmoil

The author argues that Africa-EU relations are characterized by a historical imbalance and a lack of mutual respect, which is exacerbated by the EU's shift toward a 'geopolitical commission' and the diversion of security resources to Ukraine. The document highlights how the replacement of the African Peace Facility (APF) with the European Peace Facility (EPF) allows the EU to bypass the African Union (AU) in security decisions, prompting African states to seek transactional 'Plan B' partnerships with other global powers like China and Russia. The author contends that African positions on the war in Ukraine are driven by pragmatism rather than Russian influence, and warns that failing to acknowledge this nuance risks further deteriorating the partnership.

• The relationship between the African Union and the European Union is described as hierarchical and currently in a state of flux, with the 2022 AU-EU Summit failing to effectively 'reset' relations due to the onset of the war in Ukraine.
• The EU has failed to finalize the replacement for the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, which served as the legally binding framework for Africa-EU relations for two decades, leaving the current framework in a state of limbo as the EU prioritizes countering Russia.
• The transition from the African Peace Facility (APF) to the European Peace Facility (EPF) has shifted control of security decisions away from African leaders, allowing the EU to bypass the AU and prioritize its own geopolitical interests, such as allocating 2.5 billion euros of the EPF's 5.69-billion-euro budget to arm Ukraine.
• African countries are increasingly adopting a transactional approach to security and financial assistance, seeking 'Plan B' collaborations with the United States, China, Japan, India, and Russia to compensate for the imbalances in the EU partnership.
• African positions regarding the war in Ukraine are driven by pragmatism and a desire for mutual respect rather than being the result of Russian disinformation, and the author argues that the EU must acknowledge these nuances to avoid further deterioration of ties.

APA

Haastrup, T. (2022). Negotiating Africa-EU futures amidst geopolitical turmoil. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/negotiating-africa-eu-futures-amidst-geopolitical-turmoil

Chicago

Haastrup, Toni. Negotiating Africa-EU futures amidst geopolitical turmoil. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2022. https://afripoli.org/negotiating-africa-eu-futures-amidst-geopolitical-turmoil.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Haastrup |first1=Toni |title=Negotiating Africa-EU futures amidst geopolitical turmoil |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=1 August 2022 |url=https://afripoli.org/negotiating-africa-eu-futures-amidst-geopolitical-turmoil |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{haastrup2022negotiating, author = {Haastrup, Toni}, title = {{Negotiating Africa-EU futures amidst geopolitical turmoil}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2022}, month = aug, url = {https://afripoli.org/negotiating-africa-eu-futures-amidst-geopolitical-turmoil}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }