Beyond rhetoric: building a win-win partnership between the EU and Africa

How can Europe and Africa redefine their cooperation at a time of geopolitical tensions, climate transition and growing socio-economic inequality? That question was at the heart of the EU-Africa Progressive Network, an initiative of the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS) in which FMS is an active partner.

Discussions within the network started from a shared understanding: the existing model of cooperation, which historically often revolved around resource extraction and exports, is no longer sustainable. Instead, an equal partnership is needed, based on mutual benefit, shared development and transparency about interests.

The insights have been compiled in the policy note Beyond Rhetoric: Crafting a Win-Win EU-Africa Partnership, Prepared in collaboration with the Olof Palme International Centre, the Fondation Jean-Jaurès and FMS. The publication was launched at the network's first physical meeting in Amsterdam, ahead of Africa Day 2025.

The central message of the note is clear: the EU-Africa partnership needs to be fundamentally recalibrated. The European green transition should not revolve exclusively around access to critical raw materials, but should contribute to green industrialisation and structural economic transformation in African countries. This requires investments in local value chains, employment and knowledge building, as well as better alignment around sustainability and social standards, with a focus on implementation and support.

In addition, the policy note stresses that a future-proof partnership is only possible when peace, human rights and democratic governance are integral to cooperation, with respect for sovereignty and with meaningful involvement of local communities. It also highlights the importance of joint coalition building to reform the multilateral system and better align it with shared EU-Africa priorities.

With this policy note, the network is making a concrete contribution to the political debate on the future of the EU-Africa relationship. For FMS, this fits within our commitment to fair, democratic and sustainable international cooperation, in which equivalence is not a rhetoric but a starting point.

Read the policy note this page.