Opinion
Lessons in economic integration for the African Union
By John Fraser for The Inter Press Service
As the African Union celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, it is still younger and less integrated than the 56-year-old body that is now the European Union, and, according to politicians and diplomats, has a big advantage over the Europeans as it charts its own path of integration.
Africa can see where Europe has tried to move too far, too fast. But it can also see where the Europeans have succeeded, as it plans its own path towards greater integration.
“Africa in particular has a need to integrate to take advantage of its massive resource economies of South Africa, Angola, Ethiopia, the Sudans and probably the whole Sahel area – and growing populous economies such as Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” former South African Trade and Industry Minister Alec Erwin told the inter press service.
Erwin negotiated his country’s trade, cooperation and development accord with Brussels, and has extensive experience in dealing with the European Union.
There can be no doubt that the European Union is willing to share the lessons it has learnt, and there is a regular dialogue between the European and African Unions.
European Commission President José Manuel Barroso and six of his commissioners travelled to Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa from April 25 to 26 to meet their African Union counterparts as part of the preparations for the EU-Africa Summit that will be held in 2014.
While the themes of cooperation and partnership will no doubt ring out, the recent crisis over the Euro, when Greece and some other members needed bailouts to keep their economies afloat, serves to highlight the way integration between sovereign nations can bring pitfalls as well as benefits.
