EU-AU Summit: Matters arising

Recently, the sixth EU-AU Summit was held in Brussels, Belgium, with notable presence and participation from the Heads of State or government of the European and AU member states.

Round-table discussions were held on economic cooperation and partnership, health and vaccines regime, and the security challenges bedevilling both regions with a view to finding mutually exclusive areas for cooperation.

Conclusively, a political declaration: The Joint Vision for 2030 was adopted by both continents. This vision was to serve as a base for the new direction of alliance that is to subsist and re-engineer growth and progress for citizens.

At the opening of the 5th EU-AU Summit held in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, five years ago, former President of the European Council Donald Tusk had said, “As you know, the European Union is Africa’s biggest partner and closest neighbour. Its biggest investor, its biggest trading partner, its biggest provider of development aid and humanitarian assistance as well as its biggest contributor in peace and security. And this summit demonstrated our determination to reinforce our partnership even more.”

Oxfam International says about the EU leaders that “…they once again put the interests of their profit-hungry pharmaceutical corporations first,” pointing out that “while Europeans are getting boosters, nearly 90 percent of Africans are yet to have their initial two doses”

Five years after, there are not a few doubts as to the fluidity of progress made from the declaration adopted in four strategic areas: economic opportunities for youth, peace, and security, mobility and migration, and cooperation on governance, especially on the backdrop of skewed post-colonial relationships and contemporary rivalries for influence in Africa by key countries from the West – China, Russia, and Turkey.

French President Emmanuel Macron says there is a chance for a renewed partnership given that the relationship between both continents has become “a little tired.”

Taking a cursory look, Tusk’s statement on the current close trade relationship between both continents has been found to be largely true.

According to Eurostat, “In 2020, the largest trade partner for Africa was the EU with 33 percent of exports to, and 31 percent of imports from non-African countries. In both cases, China was the second-largest partner with 17 percent of exports and 22 percent of imports. Trade among African countries accounted for 18 percent of total (intra + extra) African exports and 15 percent of total African imports.”

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In 2011, 72 percent of goods exported from the EU to Africa were manufactured goods. This share fell to 68 percent in 2021, while the share of primary goods rose from 27 percent to 31.

France (€24bn), Germany (€23bn), Spain and Italy (both €18bn), the Netherlands (€17bn) and Belgium (€16bn) were the largest exporters of goods to Africa in 2021. Portugal (19.9%), Cyprus (19.5%), and Malta (18.2%) had the highest shares of exports to Africa in their total exports to countries outside the EU.

In all, the aforementioned trade statistics tell the story of a relationship that is not beneficial to Africans than it is to the Europeans, and that was important to be addressed going into the recent summit.

Unfortunately, the pain points of the AU were still left unattended at the conclusion of the recent summit howbeit with key pledges made by the EU countries, especially on economy and health.

First, a €150 billion Africa-Europe investment package was committed by the EU. This was made to promote the AU’s shared ambition for 2030 and Agenda 2063.

Also, voluntary contributions on the reallocation of IMF Special Drawing Rights (SDR) of at least $100 billion in cash support to the countries that need it most were made. These are projected to go to the African continent with the highest debt-to-GDP ratios. Expectations are rife for African countries like Sudan, Mozambique, and the DRC to benefit from this initiative.

The EU committed €425 million to support the distribution of doses and the training of medical teams, especially in Africa. The WHO announced the expansion of its tech transfer hub to Africa. Six countries – Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, and Tunisia – have been identified as the first recipients of technology transfer for the production of mRNA vaccines.

Nevertheless, there was a stalemate on waiver of intellectual property (IP) rights on the vaccine against the request by South African President Ramaphosa. This poses a risk to the speed of vaccinations of Africans relative to the European nations.

Additionally, leaders committed to combating irregular migration, strengthening the fight against human trafficking, brain drain, and border management.

A cross-section of stakeholders believe that the summit failed largely to address the major issues that the AU countries face.

Oxfam International says about the EU leaders that “…they once again put the interests of their profit-hungry pharmaceutical corporations first,” pointing out that “while Europeans are getting boosters, nearly 90 percent of Africans are yet to have their initial two doses.”

The One Campaign has also reportedly expressed frustration at the outcome of the summit describing the results of the meeting as “disappointing.”

Edwin Ikhuoria, Africa executive director at The One Campaign argues and asks, “Sticking points like temporarily waiving vaccine IP patents make us wonder why we are still arguing two years down the line when this really comes down to people’s lives. Are the lives of Africans really worth less than the impact of innovation and profit of pharmaceutical companies?”

There is no doubt that a post-summit retreat is required to refocus attention on the most important things for the benefit of Africans. It is hoped that this is done sooner than later. Meanwhile, the overall lesson from much of the foregoing is that the ultimate push for development will not come from outside the continent. Africa and Africans must rise up to the occasion themselves, otherwise, the continent will be consigned to the realm of perpetual under-development.