Analysis of the AU–EU Relations Under the AfCFTA Framework in a Neoliberal Context

Abstract

This chapter contributes to the plethora of neoliberal evidence that addresses itself to the fundamental regional integration political and economic anxieties, specifically focusing on AfCFTA processes. Employing a political economy approach to qualitatively analyze the AU–EU relations, the chapter analyzes these exchange processes in the context of rampant capitalism effectively ushered in Africa from the late 1980s. We demonstrate that the AfCFTA takeoff in 2021 might not quickly bring easy continental trade leap forward mainly due to uneven returns’ distribution dynamics, structural and logistical AfCFTA challenges and the inevitable neoliberal paradoxes set to adversely shape the agreement’s functionality. We, thus, argue that the integration forces within the AfCFTA parties continue to shape the emerging AU–EU relations, nevertheless, with overall progressive indicators to Africa’s industrial revolution. However, these promises are dependent on appropriate policy options undertaken particularly in the next AfCFTA rounds of negotiations. For AfCFTA to become an effective mechanism for promoting productive AU–EU relations, the analysis recommends profound reconstruction of the agreement provisions in the next rounds of trade discourses to ensure a universally profitable trade regime for all partners.