EU-Africa Summit: A new start with skepticism | tagesschau.de

At the meeting of African and European heads of state and government, the EU announced billions in investments. However, African states fear that the EU only wants to benefit from their resources.

It was the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, who had to remind people what Brussels should have been all about: “Let’s not forget why we’re here,” Borrell said. “To talk about Africa.” In fact, due to the ongoing Ukraine conflict, Africa only played a secondary role at the meeting of heads of state and government.

And even that not in the way originally planned: the intention was actually to set a sign of departure, a new start in European-African relations. But an announcement from Paris thwarted the great symbolism. The announcement of the French troop withdrawal from the politically highly unstable West African Mali. In Brussels it was said that this casts an unfavorable light on the summit, which is actually intended to bring Europe and Africa closer together. Nevertheless, this goal still applies.

At the start of the summit, attempts were therefore made to emphasize how important Africa is for Europe and vice versa, especially when it comes to green energy. “What we have planned to do with renewable energies is at the same time a development perspective for many African countries as far as their own technological perspectives are concerned,” said Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz. In addition, economic relations could be established that could bring a “good future” for these countries.

150 billion euros are to be invested

The EU Commission speaks of large sums of money that they want to invest in Africa in the coming years. It should be 150 billion euros, and they should flow into the expansion of African infrastructure: in addition to climate protection and energy, also into environmental projects, into the health system or into training programs.

EU Council President Charles Michel emphasized – also against the background of the situation in Mali – that one thing is particularly important: “Security and stability. It’s easy to see that both of these are the basis for sustainable growth – and “Sustainable growth in turn for stability and security. The point is that we advance this together with Africa and with mutual respect.”

European self-interest

There is a lot of self-interest behind this: Europe would like to gain more influence internationally, economically with the so-called Global Gateway Initiative. A project with which Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants to counter China in particular. In Africa in particular, investors sponsored by the Chinese state have repeatedly marginalized European companies in recent years, they say – it shouldn’t stay that way.

However, many African countries view European ambitions with skepticism. They fear that, in the end, the Europeans could once again be primarily concerned with profiting from African resources. Macky Sall, the President of the African Union, therefore called for an equal partnership with Europe, because Africa had changed. And democracy is also gaining more and more influence in Africa, says Sally.

where does the money come from

Nevertheless, one can also see the difficulties in Brussels, for example with migration. In order for fewer refugees from Africa to come to Europe, more economic growth is needed on the neighboring continent. The EU is convinced of that.

However, one crucial question remains unresolved at this summit: where the 150 billion euros for Europe’s investments in Africa are ultimately supposed to come from in order to achieve this. So far, this sum is only a promise.