International law aspects of EU’s trade and economic cooperation with African countries and integration associations

Introduction. The European Union (EU), taken as a whole of its member states, remains the primary trading partner of the African continent. Brussels recognizes African market’s potential for rapid growth and is interested in supplies of critical minerals to Europe. To enhance trade and economic cooperation with African countries and integration associations, the EU is adapting its trade models and appropriate legal arrangements.

Purpose. To systemize existing and emerging legal arrangements within the European Union for regulating trade and economic cooperation with African countries, regional economic communities, and the African Union (AU) as a whole.

Methods. A combination of general scientific (systemic, formal-logical) and specific scientific (comparative legal, formal-legal) research methods was used.

Results. To develop trade and economic cooperation with individual African countries and continent’s integration associations, the European Union uses ‘soft law’ tools (declarations and policy documents adopted following joint summits with the African Union, programs aimed at reducing or eliminating customs duties), multilateral cross-border Samoa Agreement, preferential trade agreements (economic partnership agreements with countries and regional communities of sub-Saharan Africa and association agreements with states in the northern part of the continent). Brussels is closely monitoring the development of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). At the same time, no agreements or memoranda on cooperation between the EU and AfCFTA have been concluded yet. The European Union approaches the prospects of this free trade area development primarily from the perspective of using critical minerals to implement the ‘Green Deal’ and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. To achieve this goal, Brussels needs to create legal environment for the extraction of minerals and the implementation of infrastructure projects in Africa.

Conclusions. The EU is attempting to develop new model agreements with African countries that would help Europeans in obtaining critical minerals on favorable terms. At the same time, the European Union understands that some liberalization of the legal framework for cooperation is required, given the development of civil society in Africa and the persistent perception of Western Europeans as colonizers in the public consciousness of local residents. At the same time, the EU seeks to maintain the practice of applying tariff and non-tariff regulation measures. Despite this, many African countries agree to sign agreements and memoranda of understanding with the EU to receive assistance in minerals exploration and extraction, as well as in the creation of appropriate transport and production infrastructure.

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