Africa and Europe continue to be important partners in international affairs. The political relations between Africa and the European Union while having development issues at their heart have evolved “beyond development”. This is clearly illustrated by the 2007 Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) that provides the overarching joint policy framework between the two continents. ECDPM has sought in accordance with our mandate to facilitate policy dialogue and capacity building at the continental level between Africa and the European Union. Implementation of the JAES began in earnest in 2009, after the institutional structures and processes were developed in 2008, yet significant challenges have arisen. Nevertheless, as a jointly agreed policy framework based on common values and shared principles, the JAES has the potential to improve dialogue and cooperation between Africa and Europe in the long term. It is also a policy framework that goes beyond development, beyond fragmentation, beyond institutions and beyond Africa and thus represents a clear test case of the new “international cooperation” agenda. More information in our work plan .  

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EU-Africa Relations (approach and activities)

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EU-Africa continental relations has been a key topic since we began work with the African Union in 2003. Focusing on three capacity strategies we seek to 1) facilitate dialogue on EU-Africa relations particularly on political-technical issues underpinning the partnership 2) undertaken research, information and knowledge management activities on EU-Africa relations and 3) build the capacity of strategic partners of ECDPM engage in, and derive maximum benefit from EU-Africa relations. In relation to facilitating dialogue through our ad hoc advice and partnership with the African Union (formalised through an MoU) we seek to address policy asymmetries between Europe and Africa. Our research, information and knowledge management activities have resulted in analytical pieces about key Africa-EU issues such as the future of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and Financing for the JAES. In addition the website (www.europafrica.net) launched in early 2007 continues to be a popular tool for practitioners and policymakers on both continents as does the e-bulletin newsletter that appears around 10 times a year. We work in partnership with a number of African institutions and networks most notably the Europe Africa Policy Research Network (EARN), the Institute for Security Studies, and the South African Institute for International Affairs. With these institutions and networks we hold joint events and publications. Following the Lisbon Summit in December 2007, DPIR’s work on the JAES process moved to the debate surrounding the JAES institutions and implementation of the first JAES action plan, with the website continuing as a platform for public information, communication and interactive dialogue. Since the start of the implementation phase, we have supported the overall process by encouraging debate on various critical aspects of JAES implementation, through research, analytical and informative publications and continuous facilitation work, as well as by providing targeted advice and information to all actors and organising informal events on related issues. The monitoring of the strategy and of EU-Africa continental relations will remain in the DPIR programme, which will also be the focal point for related work across ECDPM. In terms of thematic focus the DPIR programme looks at EU-Africa continental relations in the area of peace and security and migration, mobility and employment, while other ECDPM programmes follow governance and regional integration, trade and infrastructure.

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Conflict Prevention and Peacebuilding Evaluation

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ECDPM has supported with expertise ADE as it leads the thematic evaluation of the European Commission support to Conflict Prevention and Peace Building (CPPB) from 2001-2010. This evaluation is part of the 2008 evaluation programme approved by the External Relations and Development Commissioners. This evaluation has been managed by the Evaluation Unit (B.3) of the European Commission’s DEVCO. Together with a Preliminary Study finalised in July 2009, the Concept Study of September 2010 is the second step in the process of preparing the thematic evaluation of the European Commission support to CPPB. The final report and presentation of this evaluation was made available in November 2011 with recommendations on how the EEAS and Commission can improve their impact on conflict prevention and peacebuilding in the coming years. ECDPM has an on-going interest in evaluating conflict prevention and peacebuilding and in addition to this work in 2006 undertook the Mid-Term Review of the African Peace Facility, and also provide the thematic expertise on CPPB to the evaluation of Instrument of Stability in the Legal (Financial) Instruments study and the comprehensive EC evaluation on the visibility of EU action. Click here to read the evaluation reports

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Europafrica.net website

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Europafrica.net is an independent source of information and analysis on EU-Africa relations originally launched on behalf of the African Union and European Union in the run up to the negotiation of the Joint Strategy in 2007. It focuses on sharing information on the official documents and providing independent information on related events, activities, and positions of civil society representatives as well as providing some analysis on the progress of the implementation in the context of wider issues underpinning EU-Africa relations. Issue 48 (January 2012) of the Europafrica bulletin is now available: The e-bulletin provides you with an up-date on the implementation and monitoring process of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and EU-Africa relations more generally. It includes information about various events, activities held on the topic, as well as a summary of recent contributions on the implementation and other related issues. It also gives you news on the institutional implementation and their timeline within the framework of wider considerations in the eight thematic areas of the JAES.

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Previous activities

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Click here to see ECDPM's previous activities on EU-Africa relations For more information on our activities, please contact Tilly Bogataj

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Related publications, news and events

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ECDPM Challenges paper: Questioning old certainties: Challenges for Africa-EU relations in 2012. This year's Challenges Paper identifies important debates that concern Africa-EU relations in 2012 and outlines the context within which these will take place. ECDPM has recently published, Sherriff, A. 2012. “On the EEAS’ 1st birthday: have EU-Africa relations benefitted from the past year?” (January 13th, ECDPM Talking Points, 2012). Faria, F. 2011. What’s in the “New Deal” for engagement in fragile states? “(ECDPM Talking Points, December 9, 2011) Deputy Director, Geert Laporte, and Head of EU External Action, Andrew Sherriff received and briefed a Delegation from the Pan African Parliament led by the Third Vice-President
Hon. Laroussi Hammi, MP. The briefing, which took place at ECDPM’s Brussels office on the 8th of December was on recent EU policy developments impacting Africa and ECDPM’s approach to EU-Africa relations. ECDPM’s Andrew Sherriff was a panelist in a meeting in Berlin organized by the German Working Group on Peace and Development (FriENT) on 6th December 2011. This meeting was to discuss the EC evaluation of conflict prevention and peace building with representatives of BMZ, GIZ and German expert organisations on conflict and peace building. Sherriff, A. 2011. Is there a new impetus on the EU to deal with conflict and fragility in third countries?: Recent policy developments“ (ECDPM Talking Points, November 25, 2011) Sherriff, A. 2011. A new EU impetus on conflict and fragility, or more of the same?: Institutions and evaluation (ECDPM Talking Points, November 18, 2011) Mr. Andrew Sherriff, Senior Executive - International Relations at ECDPM provided an assessment of the new EU strategy for security and development in the Sahel to the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Working Group on Conflict, Security and Development on the 20th of October 2011. Sherriff, A. 2011. The EU Strategy for Security and Development in the Sahel - An indicator for the future of EU External Action? (ECDPM Talking Points, 23 September 2011)

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Europafrica bulletin | Issue 47, October: It provides you with an up-date on the implementation and monitoring process of the Joint EU-Africa Strategy. It includes information about various events held on the topic, as well as a summary of recent contributions on the implementation. It also gives you news on the institutional negotiations and their timeline. African Union frameworks for migration: current issues and questions for the future (ECDPM Discussion Paper 108) Regional integration in relation to migration in Africa, i.e. promoting free movement and labour migration, and countering forced migration, could greatly improve the lives of the 16 million regular and irregular migrants estimated to be living in Africa. During the period since the Abuja Treaty was signed in 1991, the African Union has developed a number of policy frameworks for regional integration in migration. Read more AUC Bulletin (April 2011) Including articles from Geert Laporte (The Africa-EU Partnership in a Post-Lisbon and Post-Tripoli context), Henrike Klavert (EU external action post-Lisbon: What place is there for development policy?) and Jeske van Seters (EU funding for Africa, business as usual or changes ahead?). Andrew Sherriff discussed on a panel Daniel Bach's Kapuscinski lecture on "The EU's Strategic Partnership with Africa: A Model Lost in Translation?" on 7 April 2011 in The Hague. Andrew agreed with Bach's assertion that the "EU's vision of Africa needs to change if Europe does not wish to be sidelined in the future development of Africa" and noted that the political dialogue component of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy had been disappointing. A report is available here. The EU's new diplomats for Africa - Who are they and what policy context do they face? (Europafrica.net/ECDPM article) Europe now has a new diplomatic institution, the European External Action Service (EEAS). But who are the recently appointed Senior officials that will deal with Africa within the service? And what challenges will they face in EU policy towards Africa? Read more Is the Joint AFrica-EU Strategy still the future? The Nordics and EU-Africa Relations Originally billed as the panacea for policy incoherence, the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) is a bold attempt to move from a donor-recipient relationship to a partnership of equals, looking beyond development issues. It was jointly negotiated and agreed with African stakeholders. The JAES’ profile, however, has dropped since the last Africa-EU Summit in Tripoli in November 2010 and questions are increasingly asked about its utility. Like other European Member States the three Nordic EU member countries are making use of the broad JAES framework by engaging in those thematic areas which follow their own policy objectives. Doing this within a multilateral framework could be considered a first step towards more policy coherence, yet wider questions still remain. On the European side it remains to be seen whether the coming into being of the European External Action Service (EEAS) will accelerate the idea of a comprehensive European Africa policy and smoother implementation between institutions and member-states. But it should not be lost that ultimately this strategy was supposed to be “joint” between Africa and Europe and so it success depends as much on African stakeholders. ECDPM is quoted in an AFP syndicated article on EU-Africa relations at the Summit and the necessity to take political dialogue to a new level on all issues, including migration. The EU and Africa: The policy context for development This November 2010 paper from ECDPM and the British Overseas NGOs for Development (BOND) seeks to explore the policy context for EU – Africa relations. It gives a brief overview of the changing context in Africa and the EU and then explores the various policy frameworks for EU-Africa relations including analysis of topical themes. Currently, the traditional dominance of the oldest cooperation framework between the EU and Africa, the Cotonou Partnership Agreement, is being challenged by the changing strategic contexts in Africa and in the EU, as well as by the emergence of the new key frameworks of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy and the Economic Partnership Agreements. Yet, both of these new schemes are still in the fledgling stages, and many uncertainties surround their future status and value. Stakeholders are as yet unconvinced of their benefits in general and are unsure of their relationship with the Cotonou Agreement in particular. By understanding the political context and institutional aspects of these frameworks, stakeholders in Africa and Europe can seek to engage and influence most specifically the JAES and CPA and, in relation to the latter, the EPAs. This brief is designed to be of use to non-specialists (particularly BOND members and their partners) in the policy context for EU-Africa relations. For a PDF copy click here. To see full list of programme publications, click here.