Research Papers

As the African Union celebrates ten years of existence, it is clear that most of its institutional effort has focused on its Peace and Security arm. Peace and security is one of the AU’s most visible agendas, defining the institution and its relations with international partners. The grand African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), a set of institutions and mechanisms for effective and coordinated conflict prevention, resolution and management, requires consistent support from external partners. The AU’s partnership with Europe has also strengthened as the EU has funded various components of the APSA and provided expert and logistics support for the operationalisation of the architecture. EU financial support through its African Peace Facility has been significant, backing the continents’ claim to have many shared peace and security interests. As AU starts its second decade, many are uncertain if the ‘union of the Unions’ will follow the same pattern as before. African civil society, member states and elements in the AU commission have called for an end to reliance on external sources to fund the APSA. The AU has stated that the existing funding mechanism is no longer adequate. The role of China is also growing in the continent as manifested by the new AU structure fully funded by Beijing. The Eurozone economic crisis could also be a factor affecting AU-EU financial relations in years to come. This paper sheds light on the AU-EU relationship and how the EU can stay relevant to the AU in the changing landscape.