Debate: EU-Africa relations
Date: TUESDAY, 15 FEBRUARY 2022
Speaker: Josep Borrell Fontelles
Language: EN

This summit will be held in a context which is certainly unprecedented. Challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, increased geopolitical landscape, much more competitive, but also presenting opportunities. For example, what can we do with our EU recent global gateway strategy?  We have been seeing how much our two continents are interlinked. I have been saying in Kenya the other day that the African problems are our problems. But when we try to help them to solve their problems, it’s not because we are generous, but because their problems are our problems. Let’s see what’s happening in the Sahel or what’s happening in the Horn of Africa or what’s happening everywhere in the continent with respect to the demographic evolution.  And we have to look at Africa with a positive eye, not only through the lens of migration problems. Africa is a land of countless opportunities, which are opportunities for us also. They have a young and dynamic human potential and they have unlimited possibilities on renewable energy. If we empower African youth and women, we will be able to promote a more green and digital and equal –sometimes we just say green and digital but I say, green, digital and inclusive, it means equal – growth on both our continents.  At the African Union Summit held on 5 and 6 February this year, the new Chair, President Macky Sall of Senegal, showed openness to external partners without exclusivity, provided that they are mutually beneficial and respectful of African development priorities and societal choices. At the same occasion, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki, expressed the hope that summits with partners will focus on concrete and transformative projects. Concrete – that’s what we need to be. And that is the dynamic in which we are inserting this African Union-European Union Summit. Our objectives in the summit are based on a clear understanding of our respective and mutual interests. We want to strengthen our cooperation by defining joint key priorities and partnerships for the next decade. We will amplify the scope and focus of the team Europe approach with the impact of our actions. We have to ensure more visibility to our partners and with a strong united response, a message underpinned by concrete actions, we will demonstrate that the European Union is Africa’s most trusted partner, and we will thereby also counter negative narrative and disinformation about what the Europeans are and what Europeans are doing and with the African people.  So let me quickly go through some specific actions which we are working on. We are preparing an innovative and forward-looking joint declaration outlining tangible initiatives to be co-owned and implemented jointly in support of a common strategic vision for 2030.  In particular, we are working with a team Europe spirit – you know what I mean, European Union institutions and the Member States all together – on six particular deliverables, six strands of work to be translated into concrete projects and flagships. I will go through the six of them just to mention in order to frame our debate if you wish.  First, an ambitious global gateway Africa-Europe investment package taking into account global challenges such as climate change and the current health crisis. Second, preparing the health system. Third, education systems – big priority. Four, tools and solutions for the Africa-Europe security and stability architecture. More and more, our relationship with Africa has to incorporate the security issues because when you see how Jihadism is going from the Sahel to the Gulf of Guinea, how instability is widespread from Somalia along the Indian Ocean coast toward Mozambique and the south. More and more, we are going to have security concerns to share with them and to help them to face them. Fifth, an enhanced and reciprocal partnership on migration and mobility. And sixth, a European Union-African Union initiative for multilateral action and peace, prosperity and the planet.  These are the strands for our work, and we have to build not only words, we have to explain concrete proposals and actions to reinforce our relations. Yes, I know that so many things have been said or written about this relation. So many critics, sometimes rightfully, sometimes not. The too low distribution of vaccines or the travel ban that we imposed when the Omicron variant raised in South Africa are good examples of the first, many critics, rightfully, on the latter, we may show the new instrument that we are shaping to better answer security, in each of our partnerships are critics which are not adequate. Summarising, I could say that we, the European Union and the African Union, do not agree on everything, certainly not. I think that we agree on the essential and this is enough, it is a good, sound basis for renewing a stronger partnership between us. Let’s see what’s happening in the summit.  We went to Kigali to prepare the summit. At the ministerial level meeting, there were some important disagreements. There were some important concerns. That’s the moment to speak to each other, frankly, honestly, in order to improve our partnership, because certainly we need to solve the problems that African people are suffering. And keep in mind, this can be our motto: African problems are our problems, and when we work to try these problems, we work for ourselves also.