Thread by @philoapiko

Interested in what has been happening in the #AU & #EU partnerships since their Feb Summit 9 months ago? Early this week, they met again. Has this brought new life into the partnership, or has any progress been made? A thread 👇
@ECDPM @ettg_eu

1. On peace and security

EU reiterated €600m commitment to AU and Africa-led peace support operations for 2022-2024. But concerns over the sustainability of the EPF are there. 55% of its budget for 2021-2027 has already been pledged to Ukraine.

👉ettg.eu/publications/t…

2. On a positive note the EU announced its support for the AU Human Rights Compliance Framework as part of the EU-AU-UN tripartite cooperation launched in November.

👉au.int/en/newsevents/…

3. On health

It was positive to see EU commitments made towards the production of medicines & vaccines, also highlighted in the new 🇪🇺 #GlobalHealthStrategy.

But comprehensive support should include:

Strengthening health systems
Workforce capacity

👉bit.ly/3imxdEq

4. But what about tech transfer?

TRIPS waiver was a contentious issue in February.

June #WTO TRIPS decision gives members greater scope to take direct action to diversify production of COVID-19 vaccines & override exclusive effect of patents thru a targeted waiver over 5yrs

5. But TRIPS waiver not extended to the production & supply of COVID-19 diagnostics & therapeutics critical in detecting new cases and new variants.

A decision on this at @wto should take place by 17 December. Is the EU ready to have discussions on effective tech transfer?

6. On food security

The EU committed to EUR 4.5 billion in grants by 2024 for local food production using agritech, agro-processing and fertiliser production.

7. Ahead of the AU Fertiliser & Soil Health Summit in June 2023, emphasis should be on supporting organic fertilisers.

But also on the need to be cautious with the use of chemical fertilisers for soil health. See more from my colleague @F_Rampa 👉bit.ly/3tOkTTC

8. On clean energy

@vdl said “if we do it right – we could provide access for Africans to clean energy that is home-grown and that is affordable” e.g with Egypt & Namibia on renewable hydrogen. But tensions arise regarding pathways & concrete measures for financing the shift.

9. Some also point out the hypocrisy on the EU side. Pushing for the phase-out of external investment in fossil fuels (including in Africa) but then continuing to allow such investment within its own borders.

https://twitter.com/JavierBlas/status/1597512149739282432

10. On loss and damage

At #COP27 the EU agreed on a fund to support vulnerable countries. But in reality, no commitments have been made. Will this fund ever materialise?

👉euractiv.com/section/politi…

11. On trade & connectivity

Agreed to launch €750m programme 4 infrastructure investments in transport (including strategic corridors), digitalisation & energy connectivity. Understanding actors & interests along corridors is key for implementation.👉bit.ly/3qbksQS

12. High-level dialogue on economic integration to be launched next year. Our study shows that focus should be on implementation of #AfCFTA & related African integration processes & on improving existing trade arrangements between EU & Africa

👉bit.ly/3OTM6NS

13. On multilateralism

This year has tested the partnership at various fora i.e @wto, @WHO, UNSC, #UNGA, @Cop27.
EU insists on a rule-based order. And yet, who enforces these rules & whether they could be applied uniformly is questionable in a multipolar global world.

14. So far, tensions in several fields e.g migration, energy transition, climate change etc, have strained the partnership. Divergences on the Russian invasion of Ukraine showed the parallel views present on the two continents.

15. On the monitoring mechanism

AU-EU Ministerial Follow-up Committee is yet to be established, a year since it was proposed at the AU-EU ministerial in Kigali last year.

16. CSOs were present at the meeting but criticised the short notice and brief time for interventions. The EU and AU need to institutionalise their participation not only during summits and meetings but also in the follow-up of commitments.

17. On the whole, the meeting was a showcase of the EU's #GlobalGateway Strategy, touted as a tool to implement the commitments in Feb. 9 months later, it’s still not entirely clear where the €150bn for Africa will come from & some question the process to access such funding.

18. Some interesting answers came from the recent @ettg_eu event on the impact #COVID19 & #Ukraine️ war had on the relationship:

-Divergences exist, so more openness & frank dialogue are needed
-Long-term resilience & sustainability require addressing structural issues

19.
- Develop smart targeted policies with measurable impact
- The values agenda needs to be revitalised with a bigger focus on shared concerns

Finally, and crucially, money matters but trust matters more

At @ECDPM we’ll keep following all high-level AU-EU meetings and bringing you our analysis. Follow me and @ECDPM to stay up to date
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