EU cooperation with the African Union: Towards a new era?

Webinar, Tuesday, 19 October 2021, 10:00-11:30 CET via Zoom

2021 is a decisive year for African Union-European Union relations, not least for the planning of the sixth AU-EU Summit in Brussels. In early March 2020, the EU presented its document “Towards a comprehensive Strategy with Africa” that should pave the way towards a new partnership with the African continent.

However, is this approach fit for a new era or does it still hang in old paradigms? How do the AU and EU actually practice their relationship and how could it be brought forward?

The webinar presented the main findings of the research project “The future of AU-EU cooperation: Towards a new era?”, consisting of a series of publications on three different matter

• The EU–AU Trade and Development Partnership: Towards a New Era? – By Naiga Resty, Lecturer, Makerere University
• AU–EU Relations on Peace and Security – By Bernardo Venturi, Director, Agency for Peacebuilding (AP)
• AU–EU Institutional Relations: Towards a New Era? – By Jacopo Resti, Junior Researcher, Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI)

Researchers looked at current practices in AU-EU cooperation by examining the main asymmetries and inequalities in three policy fields: institutional relations, development and trade, and peace and security.

Programme | Policy Brief Series

The analysis highlighted policy recommendations for AU and EU policy-makers and stakeholders, suggesting the way forward to upgrade cooperation to a balanced and inclusive partnership.

The event was organised by the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) in cooperation with the Fondation Jean Jaurès (FJJ) and in coordination with the Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI).