On Friday 27 March, the Vice-President of the European Parliament, Younous Omarjeem (The Left, French), called for a profound change in Europeans’ perception of Africa, referring to an ongoing process of “Africanisation of the world”.
“In a few decades’ time, one human being in four will be African (...) African cities will be among the largest metropolises on the planet. And Europe, like the world, is going to become Africanised”, declared the MEP, originally from the Réunion Island, to African leaders gathered in Brussels for the fourth edition of the Africa Political Outlook.
“This forces Europeans, I think, to free themselves from the old, worn-out, totally outdated way in which we look at African countries”, he continued.
Referring to the return of war to Europe, tensions in the Middle East, rivalries between major powers and the weakening of multilateralism, the European Parliament Vice-President called for a move beyond the inherited patterns of a “vertical relationship” or “centre-periphery”, to build an “archipelagic” partnership, based on movement, exchanges and shared interests, particularly around maritime issues, which in his view have become major geopolitical challenges.
Mr Omarjee noted the limits of a historical model based on the export of raw materials, and supported Africa’s aspirations for industrialisation and value creation. The MEP defended the EU’s ‘Global Gateway’ initiative as a tool for “equitable partnership”, provided that it is not used as an instrument of competition, but as a lever for shared prosperity, innovation and economic integration of the African continent.
On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for greater transparency and democratic control of the ‘Global Gateway’ (see EUROPE 13837/5).
Finally, Younous Omarjee called for a rethink of global governance, defending Africa’s place in international institutions, notably the UN Security Council. “The United Nations Security Council cannot remain stuck in the 1945 world balance. The world has changed. Demographics have changed. The powers have changed”, he insisted. (Original version in French by Bernard Denuit)