Foreign Policy Dialogues “Europe-Maghreb-Africa: Geopolitical vision and policy outcomes”

The relative weight of Africa on the international agenda is increasing and the new EU leadership has announced that this will be one of the main priorities of the EU's external action. The interest in Africa is often framed in terms of opportunity (economic growth, trade, infrastructure, urban development, social dynamism and culture, democratic transitions) but it is also a space of rivalry between regional powers (Morocco-Algeria) or even global ones (EU-China ). Another factor that invites us to pay more attention is the (in)security nexus between the Maghreb and Africa, with the Sahel as the most obvious case. The growing importance of Africa in the European agenda should reinforce rather than replace or overshadow existing policies towards the Mediterranean and the Maghreb. This seminar will aim to discuss how to make this possible and what alliances are necessary to generate innovative and transformative proposals.

This initiative is part of the series of Foreign Policy Dialogues, a new methodology developed by CIDOB with the support of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation. Through this and other workshops, CIDOB aims to connect the thinking generated in Spain with other European and international organisations so as to increase capacity of incidence in Brussels and other decision-making centres. Thus, think tanks and research centres will feed, complement and contribute to the activities undertaken at the governmental level.