The African Union builds on the EU’s foundations

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 27/01/05

MUCH is made of developing countries' opportunity to leapfrog - to take advantage of existing know-how to save years of development and investment.

Africa has not done much leapfrogging in its recent history. Yet, in terms of regional integration, the continent is jumping ahead, importing European experience wholesale, in the form of the African Union (AU).

At summits around Africa, heads of government take decisions that are implemented by a college of commissioners and their bureaucrats. In Addis Ababa permanent representatives meet every month to prepare the groundwork for twice-yearly foreign affairs ministerials.

There is even a PSC, which stands for Peace and Security Committee, while the EU's homonym body is the Political and Security Committee - and ECOSOCC, which stands for Economic, Social and Cultural Council, while the Union's Economic and Social Committee is dubbed ECOSOC. There will also soon be an African parliament and a court of justice.

But the EU's decision-making process has become increasingly difficult following successive expansions. So how far can African integration go with 53 members?

So far the grand projects which bind Africa together are few and far between.

Discussion of a single currency has not really gained traction because of huge disparities between states, although some work is being done at a sub-regional level.

The AU's ability to promote democracy is hampered by the fact that many of its member states are not themselves democratic. And there are no entry conditions that could promote democracy, as in the case of the EU: every African country is a member of the AU except Morocco, so there is no jumping through hoops to get in.

But there is a glimmer of hope in the security field.

Assisted by the European Union, the AU has launched a monitoring mission in Sudan and discussions are under way for further more robust missions to Somalia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The AU Peace and Security Committee is now a standing body and the creation of an African standby force is under way, although problems of funding and capacity remain.

Perhaps one day like the EU, African security and defence co-operation could make a substantial contribution to peace on the continent.

Author reports on the African Union's efforts towards more integration and the role the European Union plays as a model. All African countries except Morocco are members of the African Union.