New Paradigm for Europe-Africa Relations?

This book critically examines whether Europe and Africa can forge genuinely ‘equal-to-equal’ partnerships, moving beyond the shadows of colonial legacies and recent diplomatic failures. As European initiatives like the EU's Global Gateway, Italy's Mattei Plan for Africa and Spain's emerging Africa strategy try to reshape continental engagement, the volume interrogates whether these represent authentic paradigm shifts or merely repackaged approaches.Drawing on extensive original fieldwork, the expert contributors reveal how African governments, and civil societies perceive these ‘non-patronising’ European overtures. The analysis spans critical policy domains - infrastructure, energy cooperation, migration governance and development aid - while examining whether European efforts genuinely embrace whole-of-society approaches or remain trapped in elite-to-elite dialogue. The volume's multidisciplinary perspective, featuring researchers from both continents, exposes the complex realities of 21st-century Europe-Africa relations amid intensifying geopolitical competition from Russia, China, Gulf states, and Turkey.In addition to academic analysis, it offers practical policy insights for designing more inclusive and sustainable partnerships, providing essential reading for scholars in international relations, African studies, European studies, and development studies, as well as policymakers, development practitioners, and civil society organizations seeking to understand and improve Europe-Africa engagement.