This paper examines the European Union's origins, membership, and structural character as a supranational organization. It traces the EU's formation from the Treaty of Rome through the Maastricht and Lisbon Treaties and analyzes how the EU promotes economic relations globally, with particular attention to Africa and the Indo-Pacific region. The paper evaluates the tension between the EU's economic interests — especially regarding Economic Partnership Agreements — and the development needs of African states such as Zimbabwe. It also addresses internal challenges including Brexit, rising nationalism, and member-state demands for greater sovereignty, before offering recommendations for a more equitable and sustainable partnership between the EU and African nations.
The European Union (EU) came about as a result of six countries banding together for economic purposes. These six countries were France, West Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. They responded to the Schuman Declaration, which called for an industrial and economic union of powers in Europe within the framework of a supranational community of states. The initiative was aimed at being one part economic growth and one part stability and security. Security was particularly important because World War II had just been fought in Europe and had caused tremendous loss. The first treaty to formally put forward the case for a European Union was the Treaty of Rome in 1957, which stated a need for "an ever-closer union among the peoples of Europe" (Bagnai et al., 2015). Other treaties followed, including the Maastricht Treaty and the Treaty of Lisbon, which helped formalize the structure of the EU. Today, there are 28 member states in the Union.
The EU has a strong corporate character in its makeup as a supranational organization that challenges the traditional notion of state sovereignty. The EU has sought to integrate the European states into a kind of federation loosely resembling the United States. There is a strong financial incentive for most states to become members, but as the recent Brexit vote in the UK demonstrated, not all members wish to remain in the EU. The UK voted to leave out of concerns about globalization and its effects on the state. Voters in the UK wanted to reclaim their sovereignty and make their own political and economic decisions without being bound by the European Union Parliament or its rules on immigration, trade, or open borders (Scott, 2016).
Because the EU is linked closely with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), it seeks to develop economic relations with countries outside the EU. It has done so in Africa for many years, but it has been hesitant to do so with Zimbabwe specifically. In the early 2000s, the EU suspended direct development cooperation with Zimbabwe. However, in 2014 the EU began engaging in dialogue with Zimbabwe and bilateral development cooperation soon resumed (EEAS, 2016).
To some extent, the EU pursues economic relations along a course similar to that of the United States. For example, just as the US has been seeking to develop closer ties with Taiwan, so too has the EU as part of its Indo-Pacific Strategy (Teller Report, 2021). Just as the US views China's presence in the South China Sea as a problem for economic stability, so too does the EU. It sees China's growing hegemony in the region as a threat to the EU's economic relations and to stability in Europe. Thus, "in terms of economy, it plans to diversify its trade relations and develop cooperation with Taiwan and other strategically important fields such as semiconductors" (Teller Report, 2021).
What one observes in the EU is a distinctly corporate characteristic: the EU seeks to promote its own economic stability, much as the US does. This is evident in its relationship with African nations as well, where recent debate over Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) has raised significant concerns: "Trade unions from Africa and Europe have followed with grave concern the negotiation and conclusion of Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) between the EU and regional groupings in Africa" (Tralac, 2018). The EU wants tariffs lifted on its products in Africa, but African trade unions view this as a threat to the growth of African companies. Small African businesses feel they will not be able to compete with EU companies if tariffs are removed. The agriculture sector in Africa is also alarmed, as there is a "high risk of negative consequences on agro-food production in African countries, as the EPAs are to decrease tariffs on agricultural imports, and therefore protection, over time" (Tralac, 2018). If Africa is to achieve sustainability and industrialization, it needs to protect its domestic industries through tariffs on foreign goods from the EU — yet the EU wants these tariffs lifted so that it can sell its products more competitively in Africa.
"EU investment in Africa and EPA trade tensions"
"Brexit, nationalism, sanctions, and humanitarian aid"
"Proposals for equitable EU-Africa cooperation"
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