Africa–EU relations are shifting amid pressures from global-level power politics and internal political dynamics on both continents. This Research Paper examines whether and how these dynamics generate momentum for building a more equal and mutually beneficial partnership at last. Specifically, the paper analyses survey data on Africans’ views on international partnerships and reflects on the EU’s foreign policy in Africa from this perspective.
Major surveys show that Africans’ priorities regarding development, sovereignty and global governance align well, in principle, with the dominant themes and initiatives in the EU’s external action, such as the investment-focused Global Gateway. While the EU’s influence in Africa is generally perceived as more positive than negative, unclear benefits, externally imposed conditionalities and Europe-centred implementation risk undermining the Union’s full potential as a partner. To strengthen its position and secure its long-term interests, the EU needs a mindset shift: rather than viewing Africa primarily as an arena for and instrument in geopolitical competition, the EU should recognise that its partnerships there have value in their own right, both for the future and for the EU’s place in it.
