Key diary dates
- Monday 19 May: EU-UK summit at Lancaster House London.
- Wednesday 21 May: Foreign affairs ministers of the European Union and the African Union will meet to take stock of progress made since the sixth EU-AU Summit of February 2022.
- Thursday 22 May - EU industry ministers meet for a Competitiveness Council in Brussels.
In spotlight
Despite all eyes being on the EU-UK summit taking place on Monday at Lancaster House in London, planning for another important reset also gets under way at an EU - African Union ministerial meeting on Wednesday in Brussels.
This will assemble EU and AU foreign ministers to discuss details of an agenda for a forthcoming EU-AU Summit, planned for later this year, and marking the 25th anniversary of the EU-AU partnership.
The calculus and motivations behind the relationship have changed beyond recognition since the last such summit was staged in February 2022, a week before Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine.
The start of 2022 marked the beginning of a process of withdrawal and disengagement from Africa by France, the EU country with the strongest influence on the continent.
France has pulled military troops from several West African nations with Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad all terminating existing defence agreements. Islamist insurgency in the Sahel as well as several military coups in the region have also contributed to a downsizing of French interests in the region.
This decline in Françafrique doesn’t only mean diminution of longstanding military, economic, and geopolitical influence, but also reflects a gradual shifting of African interests away from security and development treaties with the West, towards China, India, the Gulf States, and especially Russia.
With security, trade, migration and mobility among the topics on the table for Wednesday, the EU will be keen to put an end to this reversal in influence. A statement by the European External Action Service, whose High Representative Kaja Kallas will co-chair the meeting with the Angolan foreign minister Tete António, said that “Africa is a geopolitical priority of the EU at a time of increased geopolitical volatility”. It also touted the EU’s continuing status as the continent’s “first trading partner, first investor, first official development assistance and humanitarian donor to Africa”. But that comes against a backdrop of diminishing aid from the US.
Frayed trade relations with between the US and EU have also left the latter feeling around for trade partnerships at a time that supplies of critical raw materials – Africa is a rich source of many – are also a priority for the EU.
Wednesday’s meeting will therefore be approached with renewed intent on the EU side.
Policy newsmakers
Pfizergate
The EU Court ruled against the Commission for failing to justify its refusal to release texts between Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, following a New York Times request for access to the messages. NGOs and others affected by transparency issues hailed last week’s ruling in what has become a pivotal case for institutional transparency.
