Empowering Africa: normative power in EU–Africa relations

Sibylle Scheipers,Daniela Sicurelli

doi:10.1080/13501760801996774

Abstract

ABSTRACT The EU's identity construction as a normative power has often been described as a practice by which the EU portrays itself as a force for good while at the same time depicting other actors as inferior, thereby disempowering them rhetorically. In contrast to this, our findings indicate that in its relations to Sub-Saharan Africa, the EU intends to empower African countries by referring to them in a framework of solidarity and partnership. We trace this mechanism of empowering by analysing how the EU promoted the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Kyoto Protocol to African countries while at the same time trying to enable these countries to play an active role in the negotiations related to these institutions as well as in the institutions themselves. At the same time, though, this attempt to empower Africa displays crucial limits concerning the effectiveness of the EU's attempts to promote norms and the international image of the EU itself. We argue that these limits might constrain the process of EU identity construction as a normative power.

Highlights

Africa is often referred to as the ‘forgotten continent’ in which most international actors do not have a vested interest
According to 2006 UNDP Human Development Ranking, 38 out of the 50 least developed states in the world are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, URL
In the case of Chad that ratified the International Criminal Court (ICC) Statute in 2006, even NGO representatives hold that this was mainly due to EU efforts to promote the ICC (CICC, unpublished communication, 2006)

Summary

Introduction

Africa is often referred to as the ‘forgotten continent’ in which most international actors do not have a vested interest. It is the world’s most conflict-ridden region Against this background, the EU’s role in Africa is outstanding: the EU is the biggest export market for African products and the biggest donor of development aid. The EU’s role in Africa is outstanding: the EU is the biggest export market for African products and the biggest donor of development aid This stems from the traditionally strong bilateral links between individual EU member states and African countries due to their colonial history. EU-Africa relations are an excellent framework in which to investigate an aspect of the EU’s normative power that did According to 2006 UNDP Human Development Ranking, 38 out of the 50 least developed states in the world are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, URL (accessed 26/04/2007)

Objectives

Conclusion