A number of members states are resisting signing onto a European Union strategy to respond to China’s clout in Africa before a high-profile summit later this month, according to EU officials familiar with the discussions.
With the backing of French President Emmanuel Macron, who holds the EU’s rotating presidency until June, the European Commission is trying to persuade members to coordinate 20 billion euros ($22.3 billion) of EU and member states’ public investment that is channelled to Africa each year. The EU’s executive arm is aiming to have an agreement in place in time for a gathering with African leaders that begins in Brussels on Feb. 17.
Germany has suggested that some of the projects the EU wants to propose for the landmark summit aren’t ready yet, said the officials, who asked not to be named discussing private conversations. Other governments, including Hungary, Portugal and Finland, said that they can’t make specific commitments at this stage because they are still working on their national budgets for next year.
While the tensions with Russia over Ukraine have brought renewed scrutiny to Europe’s fractures over foreign policy, Macron has been trying for years to persuade the EU’s 27 member states to coordinate their overseas activity to respond to a shifting global landscape marked by China’s increasing influence.
The commission has warned member states that they risk diluting the impact of their investments if they continue to make them piecemeal and pursue their national interests instead of a broader EU strategy. In addition, the EU executive’s arm is pressing national governments to throw their weight behind some of the initiatives in Africa to ensure their success.
Member states are also at odds over the proposed list of priority projects. Spain has pointed out that northern African initiatives are underrepresented in comparison with sub-Saharan projects, the officials said.
A spokesperson for the French presidency of the EU said that they’re spending a lot of time consulting with member states to launch this new approach to partner with Africa.
The commission has intensified its efforts over the past weeks in order to finalize the investment package, a spokeswoman for the Brussels-based executive said.
Charles Michel, the European Council president, is working with Macron to win support for the plan. He has argued that the investment package will help to secure African countries’ cooperation on migration issues, including the fight against illegal arrivals and smugglers.
The summit is seen as the stepping stone to launch a new partnership between the EU and Africa, although officials said that its success will depend on the generosity of the trading bloc.
Read More: Macron Is Paying the Price for France’s Bloody History in Africa
The EU’s relationship with African countries has been soured by the bloc’s handling of the pandemic.
Some African governments protested about the EU’s decision to impose travel restrictions on southern African countries following the discovery of the omicron variant and were offended when Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the decision without warning them, the EU officials said. The EU and Africa have also clashed over patent waivers for the production of Covid vaccines.
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