Paper short abstract:

The EU and Africa are communities of destiny with a shared interest to work together towards sustainable development in Africa. African integration will be the key towards speeding up this process.

Paper long abstract:

Regional integration is a global phenomenon induced by economic globalisation. And yet, it is affected by two antinomic evolutions. First, a trend towards accelerated regional integration (Africa, East Asia). Second, a trend towards disintegration, led in Europe by a resurgence of aspirations towards national sovereignty, epitomised by Brexit, and by a lack of solidarity between EU member states in dealing with migrations.

Whilst the US question existing trade agreements and cancel negotiations to establish new ones, and whilst the EU finds itself at the crossroads between furthering integration, status quo, or disintegration, China is gradually setting up its new Silk Road grand plan, and on the African continent a number of regional economic blocs are building up rapidly, often with overlapping structures, as illustrated by the TFTA agreement.

This paper, first, investigates these contradictory trends and evaluates respective challenges faced by the EU and Africa in furthering their models of continental integration. It considers the economic potential for both Europeans and Africans that can be unleashed by speeding up integration processes in Africa. Second, it compares and contrasts their specific contexts and considers how to deal with the challenges of solidarity, supranational governance and shared sovereignty in both Europe and Africa. Finally it argues that Africa will be 'the China of the 21st Century', that any development, positive or negative, taking place there, will have large repercussions in Europe. And that therefore the EU and Africa are communities of destiny in need of a joint approach towards African industrialisation.