Africa and the EU have engaged in extensive discussions about the need for fair collaboration and have highlighted the importance of achieving an equitable partnership between them. It is time for us to take liberal action and move beyond dialogue. The authors hope that liberals on both continents can take the ideas in this publication and turn them into policies.
Edited by Alva Finn, Executive Director of the European Liberal Forum
In the light of today’s geopolitical shifts, growing uncertainty, and the reshaping of global alliances, the question of how regions engage with one another has never been more urgent. Global challenges transcend borders, whether in the form of climate change, security threats, economic inequality, or migration, and no region can afford to act in isolation. In this context, the European Union needs to reinvigorate its relationship with its partner and neighbour, Africa.
For years, there have been extensive discussions on the need for a fairer, more balanced partnership. A number of themes are explored in this publication that exemplify the liberal understanding of the EU–Africa dynamic, including economic collaboration based on the principle of win–win partnerships rather than traditional aid-based relationships, and focusing on what we can learn from Africa in Europe rather than on the usual dichotomy of what the EU can teach Africa.
Africa and the EU have engaged in extensive discussions about the need for fair collaboration and have highlighted the importance of achieving an equitable partnership between them. It is time for us to take liberal action and move beyond dialogue. The authors hope that liberals on both continents can take the ideas in this publication and turn them into policies.
This publication is a direct result of Innovation Policy Labs hosted at the Renew PAC Summit in Abidjan in February 2025. During the sessions, African and European liberals discussed common causes and values. They shared fresh ideas for the EU–Africa relationship to bring the continents closer together in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape. The conversations hosted with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF) and Africa Liberal Youth for Freedom (ALYF) opened the door to new possibilities for collaboration, and this publication uses them as a springboard for concrete action and future liberal cooperation in the framework of Renew PAC.