The Relationship between Europe and Africa

As with the Yaoundé, Lomé, Cotonou accords which altered the Europe-Africa relationship from one of domination to one whose motto is deregulation, future agreements, called Economic Partnership, are “neither more nor less than free trade zones allowing Europe to freely access any ACP market.” Thus lamented the President of FEPS, Massimo D’Alema, at the close of the seminar on the consequences of the economic crisis on the relationship between Europe and Africa. Regretting that for many socialists the crisis was not the catalyst to even bring out the aspirations of peoples to live in a world more united and at peace, he considered that one of the fundamental tasks of a renewed progressive force was to “restore the primacy of politics over economics.” In this context, and in order to stabilize the relationship between Europe and Africa, it is of primary importance to “strengthen both the political coherence of European integration and political and economic integration of Africa.”

Speech by President of FEPS, Massimo D’Alema, to the World Social Forum Dakar, Senegal