EU-Sub-Saharan Africa relations: the history of (un)equal partnership

The paper explores the exploitative nature of Africa – EU relations. The exploitative tendencies are present from the very beginning, in the Rome treaty itself, and are consistent through Yaounde, Lome, and Cotonou eras as well. As time passes, the exploitative nature of this relationship is getting vaguer through vocabulary changes and more subtle economic exploitation mechanisms. Each new cooperation framework tried to emphasize the importance of equality in the EU-Africa partnership but the inequality between the two parties constantly grew. This is the case with the newest, Global gateway framework. This investment plan is an ad-hoc initiative designed to counter Chinese interests in the region. The EU tends to be a norm creator in the African continent. The paper reexamines the capability of the EU to fulfill that role.