The Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES), which was adopted in 2007, aimed to break
with the traditional donor-recipient relationship between the EU and Africa
and to develop a true partnership. The concept of partnership has been central
in EU-Africa relations ever since the Lomé Agreement (1975), but many have
argued that it has been eroded by conditionalities and the end of special
trade preferences. Ideally, a partnership is characterized by shared values,
equality and trust, but are these principles reflected in the JAES? This study
investigates this question by focusing on the thematic partnerships on peace
and security and democratic governance and human rights. The paper argues
that, despite the power asymmetries between the EU and Africa, the JAES has
been characterized by equality in decision-making and by African ownership in
capacity-building. However, while the JAES may objectively be based on shared
values, the EU and the AU have often differed on how to apply those values in
concrete situations, more particularly on the question which type of
intervention is acceptable (conditionality, military intervention, etc.).
Moreover, the analysis identifies a general feeling of mistrust amongst both
parties in the partnership
