The European Union and the African Union: A Strategic Partnership?

Abstract:

Despite a rhetorical emphasis on the problematic term ‘strategic’ by both European Union (EU) and African Union (AU) policymakers, cooperation between both actors is limited and lacking in strategic direction. Their cooperation focuses mainly on EU financial support for activities led by the AU and the Regional Economic Communities/Regional Mechanisms. These activities are largely limited to the subject of peace and security through the African Peace Facility and other highly specific projects in Africa, as well as on a limited political dialogue. Nonetheless, the EU-AU link represents the most comprehensive partnership the African Union has with any non-African actor. This study will furthermore demonstrate that the United Nations (UN) is an indispensable third party to their relationship and it is therefore more appropriate to speak of the AU-EU-UN nexus. This article concludes that the AU-EU-UN nexus is an innovative evolving interregional partnership in a global context and that such interregionalism (institutional relations between two or more world regions) is an important emerging part of a new era of global governance.