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European Union And Challenges Of Africa’s Development: A Critical Appraisal, 1999-2010
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CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
International relations are undergoing profound
change with newly emerging powers entering the scene. The European Union
is itself an “emerging†foreign policy actor, hoping to reinforce its
political influence in order to match its weight as global development
actor (2007). The European Union, (EU), is an international economic
organization comprising some advanced countries of the north, which
originally included France, West Germany, Belgium, Italy, Luxemburg and
the Netherlands. It has however, to include twenty one (21), other
countries namely, Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark,
Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta,
Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and
United Kingdom. Through a conglomeration of the African, Caribbean and
Pacific, (ACP), group of states which today number seventy nine, (79),
(48 African, 16 Caribbean and 15 Pacific) countries are associated with
the EU.
As a result of the Cold War, Europe took so much interest in
the affairs of Africa coupled with the fact that most of the African
countries were colonized by Major European powers and dependent on them.
It is also believed that Euro-African relations arises by default.
According to John (1995:95):
Africa’s dependence on Europe also
arises by default, that is, from the failure of African countries to
diversify to any significant degree their trading links in the three
decades since most states received their independence…And Africa’s
economic decline makes the continent an attractive prospect as trading
partner.
Europe, preoccupied with the its own problems as it moved
toward the establishment of a single integrated market in 1992 and with
the growing instability on its eastern borders following the
disintegration of the Soviet Bloc, appeared, in the early 1990s, to have
lost enthusiasm for the development compact with Africa. Following the
end of the Cold War, it seemed that the EU and its Member States were
losing interest in Africa. At the level of the bilateral policies of the
Member States, France, the United Kingdom, and numerous other countries
in Europe cut substantially the level of their development programmes
(Fredrik, 2007).
In fact, John (1995:96) observed that:
Even
France, long the champion of increased assistance to Africa within the
European Union, seemed to be tiring of the cost of supporting its sphere
of influence.
However, since international politics is shaped by the
underlying global dynamics and the political context of each continent.
The relationship appears to be on the resurgence. With the beginning of
the new century, the collective commitment to double aid to Africa and
to enhance its effectiveness has increased among members of the EU. The
2000 Lomé Agreements – renamed Cotonou Partnership Agreement (CPA) has
become the main legal framework of cooperation between the European
Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP). The
first EU-Africa Heads of State Summit in 2000, in Cairo, recognised the
need for a new high-level political relationship between the two
continents and professed a new standard of multilateral cooperation that
would not be based on the usual post-colonial perspectives and
donor-recipient philosophy (Andrew, 2010).
Further, the adoption of
the European Consensus on Development, the ambitious agenda on policy
coherence for development marked a change in the EU’s approach to
international development. On the other hand, the process towards a
‘common’ strategy for Africa, which culminated in the Joint Africa-EU
Strategy adopted in Lisbon in December 2007, meant that the EU was
trying to play a leading role in the international arena (Fredrik,
2009).
Africa, therefore, became central not only to the EU’s
development policy, but, more widely, to its overall external affairs.
This study has been designed to critically evaluate the European Union
and challenges of development in Africa.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Europe’s
relationship with Africa is not new. It is deeply rooted in history and
has gradually evolved from often painful colonial arrangements into a
strong and equal partnership based on common interests, mutual
recognition and accountability. Europe and Africa are connected by
strong trade links, making the EU the biggest export market for African
products. For example, approximately 85% of Africa’s exports of cotton,
fruit and vegetables are imported by the EU. Europe and Africa are also
bound by substantial and predictable aid flows. In 2003 the EU’s
development aid to Africa totalled €15 billion, compared to €5 billion
in 1985. With this, the EU is by far the biggest donor: its ODA accounts
for 60% of the total Official development Assistance, ODA going to
Africa (see Commission of the European Communities, 2005).
Moreover,
some EU Member States retain longstanding political, economic and
cultural links with different African countries and regions, while
others are relative newcomers to African politics and development. At
Community level, over the last few decades the European Commission has
built up extensive experience and concluded a number of contractual
arrangements with different parts of Africa that provide partners with a
solid foundation of predictability and security.
However, for too
long the EU’s relations with Africa have been too fragmented, both in
policy formulation and implementation: between the different policies
and actions of EU Member States and the European Commission; between
trade cooperation and economic development cooperation; between more
traditional socio-economic development efforts and strategic political
policies. Neither Europe nor Africa can afford to sustain this situation
and in December 2005, the European Union made a decisive effort to
define a more strategic platform for its relations with Africa, aiming
at a mutually beneficial partnership.
Against this backdrop and
building on the work of the first Africa-EU summit in Cairo in 2000,
leaders from both continents decided to move cooperation to a new level
in 2007. At the Lisbon Summit, 80 Heads of States and Government from
Europe (27) and Africa (53) agreed to pursue common interests and
strategic objectives together, beyond the focus of traditional
development policy. To do so, they adopted the Joint Africa-EU Strategy
which redefines the relations between the two continents for tackling
global challenges together. In the context of the Strategy, the first
action plan covering the period 2008-2010 and introducing concrete
measures was structured around eight strategic partnerships: As noted by
the EuroBarometer (2010), the areas of strategic partnership are:
Peace and security
Democratic governance and human rights
Trade, regional integration and infrastructure
Millennium development goals (MDGs)
Energy
Climate change
Migration, mobility and employment
Science, information society and space
However,
studies in Africa’s relations such as Adogamhe, (2006); Princeton
(1988); Diamond (1995); George (2006); Cornelissens (2000); De Lorenzo
(2007); with the rest of the world has always centered on her relations
with America, with specific countries within the EU and more recently
with China. This does not help us to understand the trajectory and
dynamics of Africa-EU relations. More fundamentally, this has glossed
over the role of EU in Africa’s development. Hence, this forms the
lacuna in literature that we seek to bridge. This study therefore, sets
out to critically appraise the EU and its role in development in Africa.
In the light of the above discussions, we pose the following research questions:
Has the increasing rate of EU-African relations increased the volume of trade between EU and Africa?
Has
the increasing rate of EU-African relations increased the volume of
foreign direct investment (FDI) from EU states to Africa?
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study examined the European Union, EU and challenges of African development. Specifically, the study ascertained if the increasing rate of EU-African relations has increased the volume of trade between EU and Africa and secondly, ascertained if the increasing rate of EU-African relations has increased the volume of foreign direct investment from EU states to Africa. The study interrogated the following research questions. First, has the increasing rate of EU-African relations increased the ... Continue reading---
