The New EU Africa Strategy: Grounds for Cautious Optimism

In December 2005 the Council of the European Union (EU) adopted a new strategy for Africa (the Strategy) proposed by the Commission in October 2005. In the document, the EU discusses many aspects relating to its ties with African countries. Past cooperation is reviewed and ongoing programs are assessed. What distinguishes the Strategy from previous EU policy statements on Africa is that the Union makes allusion a number of new elements. They include economic initiatives, political innovations, a new social blueprint, geographic coherence, strategic aspects and more money. While the elements are reminiscent of a forward-looking approach to future EU-Africa relations, certain challenges may need to be surmounted. The challenges mainly refer to the potential negative effects of policy incoherence. However, if implemented with a sense of purpose by both sides, the issues regarding policy incoherence could be appropriately addressed by specific mechanisms discussed in the Strategy. Such mechanisms include the Euro-African Business Forum and EU-African Human Rights Forum.