The EU's New Strategy for Africa: In Search of a Genuine Partnership

Abstract

The article analyzes the prospects of the new EU strategy for Africa. The author highlights the strengthening of the discourse of equal partnership on the part of the EU. Following its internal development logic, the EU also changes the agenda of its relations with the African Union, proposing as a priority a part-nership for digital and "green" transformation. China as a major international player in the region continues bolstering its presence and influence. The latter explains the partial departure of the EU from the principle of conditionality in relations with the African states. The European Union remains Africa's main partner in terms of trade and foreign direct investment. However, as the author stresses, in order to achieve its competitive advantage, given the ongoing integration processes and the establishment of the AfCFTA, the EU needs to strengthen relations with Africa at the intercontinental level, as well as to support more actively the connec-tivity agenda and infrastructure projects. The author argues that the EU efforts to fulfil its commitments to the African states within the framework of it's Global Response to COVID-19 is a positive factor in the Afro-European relations.