France, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union (EU), has stated its intent to renew the bloc’s partnership with Africa ahead of an important summit to be held between February 17th and 18th in Brussels. The French government had organised a meeting on Monday in Paris to identify the priorities for the EU's member states in their relationship with the African Union.
While presenting Paris’ preferences for the bloc’s presidency, French President Emmanuel Macron had said relations with Africa would be a priority. He also mentioned the need to rebuild the EU's ties with Africa, noting the rocky relationship between the two continents previously.
French minister for foreign trade Franck Riester called Africa an obvious choice to partner with the Europeans, and emphasised the EU's geographical proximity with it. Riester said the bloc was “the leading trade partner, the leading foreign investor and the leading development partner of Africa.”
Meanwhile, European Commissioner for Trade Valdis Dombrovskis welcomed the initiative, stating that further progress could be made between the two partners. Dombrovskis said both partners needed to seek economic integration and ensure digital transition of the African economy. Moreover, he also noted the potential for trade growth as currently “only about 17 per cent of African trade flows take place between African countries.”
Stronger trade & investment relations with Africa are an #EUTrade priority.
— Valdis Dombrovskis (@VDombrovskis) January 10, 2022
We want to build a modern, sustainable & mutually rewarding partnership of equals.
More in my remarks at @Europe2022FR Conference on EU-Africa trade relations 👉 https://t.co/V6vU1JsPc0 pic.twitter.com/GREPzDSjOU
Earlier in 2020, European Commission made a declaration titled “Towards a comprehensive strategy with Africa,” which included five key areas of cooperation to combat the current international challenges, including access to energy, green transition, digital transition, peace and migration, and growth and employment. In October last year, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said, “we will invest with Africa to create a market for green hydrogen that connects the two shores of the Mediterranean.”
However, for the partnership's success, Africa and the EU must respond successfully to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. During Monday’s meeting, Riester stressed the need for cooperation between the Union’s member states and their African partners to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. In this regard, the bloc has set a target of sending vaccine doses worth almost $800 million to Africa by mid-2022.
At the same time, Riester also said that sending vaccines is not enough and that local production capacities must be developed. He welcomed the creation of the first vaccine technology transfer centre in South Africa and the progress made in Senegal and Rwanda to create manufacturing sites.