Dissonant Paths to Partnership and Convergence: EU-Africa Relations Between Experimentation and Resistance

Abstract

In the official discourse, “convergence” between the European Union and its African partners takes place through partnership and common goals. The concrete actions undertaken (or not) by both sets of actors to turn this apparent convergence into reality are, however, far more complex and uneven than the official discourse suggests. They are on some occasions dissonant, both in the actual objectives pursued on the ground and in their implementation by the two sides of the partnership. In trying to explain this convergence/dissonance gap, this contribution underlines the highly experimental nature of the EU-Africa relations and accounts for some of the contradictions and inefficiencies so often pointed out in previous studies.