Difficulties within the EU-Africa relationship

The recent developments between the EU and Turkey have highlighted how easily migration partnerships, or ‘deals’, can lead to breakdown which can have far-reaching consequences. The decision to extend the post-cotonou agreement to allow extra time for negotiations and the recent working paper released by the European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) show the difficulties – especially on the issue of migration – in the relationship between two other partners, namely the European Union (EU) and the African Union.

The European Union is questioned over the Eritrean road project

The legality of the road building project in Eritrea funded by European Union (EU) under the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa has been questioned on the territory of the European institutions over the past week. On 14 February, the European Commission Directorate General on International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO) held a Round Table meeting with several NGOs and on 18 February, the Committee on Development (DEVE) of the European Parliament dedicated a part of its agenda to the EU development aid in Eritrea. During both events representatives of the European Commission, civil society as well as members of the parliament were presenting their points of view.

News Highlights: Refugees protest mass-rejection of evacuation in Libya, Ethiopian Prime Minister wins Nobel Peace Prize, EU migration deals continue

In this week’s news highlights: Ethiopian Prime Minister wins the Nobel Peace Prize; Sudan transitional government and Sudan rebel groups are discussing peace; BBC journalist witnesses state control in Eritrea; Eritreans and Ethiopians stuck at US-Mexico border; EU member states defer export of weapons to Turkey, as President Erdogan’s actions are condemned; European countries unlikely to resettle promised number of refugees before deadline; New report urges Switzerland to improve protection of trafficking victims; Hungary likely to appear before the Court of Justice for non-compliance on EU migration law; Refugees protest mass-UNHCR rejection; journalist reports EU pays UN to keep refugees in Libya; Morocco and EU working on migration deal; and Rescue-boats save close to 300 people