It is well established that a handful of countries rule the roost in the world of international summitry and diplomacy. The G7, G20, OECD, and UN Security Council are dominated by the same group of countries. The Global South is almost entirely shut out, but most of the time, few notice.
Summits are often a waste of time – a chore for politicians, their staff and the reporters who have to wade through the jargon of turgid communiqués for something worth writing about – but during crises, they become one of the most critical vehicles for emergency policy making.
Being shut out of the leading global forums has undeniably left the Global South, particularly Africa, with whom the EU now wants to build a ‘strategic partnership’, with little influence over policymaking.
That has been most obvious in trade and tax policy. The G77 of developing countries has repeatedly and unsuccessfully called for decisions on international tax policy to be made by a UN body rather than the thirty wealthy states, which comprise the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Similarly, last year’s decision to issue over $650 billion in special drawing rights from the International Monetary Fund – meant to give states recovering from the economic bruises inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic a bit of fiscal breathing room – was taken by wealthy states who, in turn, received the vast majority of the SDRs.
That could now change.
African Union chairman Macky Sall, also Senegal’s president, has formally requested that the AU be admitted as a permanent member of the G20, or perhaps soon to be G21. South Africa is currently the only African member.
Meanwhile, finance ministers from Egypt, Senegal, and Ghana have sent a letter to the G20 formally requesting more African engagement and a revival of the debt suspension initiative introduced during the pandemic.
Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo, who hosts November’s G20 summit, says he will urge other leaders to agree to the AU’s request.
The AU is still a relatively weak institution that is not yet significantly stronger than the sum of its parts. Its architects see the European Commission as the model to replicate both in creating and implementing policy.
AU officials point to the EU, whose two main leaders, the European Commission and European Council presidents, both attend G20 summits and say that their equivalent leaders should also be permanent invitees. This could be the making of the AU.
The proposal also has the support of the EU.
In a speech to the AU this week, European Council President Charles Michel gave his endorsement, adding that “together, Africa and Europe can form an arc of peace, prosperity and cooperation for the 21st century”.
Aside from being the right thing to say, the EU’s backing is sound diplomacy.
This is not a question of political tokenism. The effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on energy and food supply and prices are set to hurt African states more than most, and it is logical to believe that sound policymaking is more likely when all parties have a say in how it is shaped.
The Roundup
Who will be the new UK prime minister and how will this affect relations with the EU? Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak has more support across the general public and among Conservative MPs while Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has a narrow lead among Conservative party members.
French lawmakers in the lower house adopted a government-tabled emergency bill earmarking €20 billion to tackle inflation and the resulting social risks in the early hours of Friday.
Iran is seeking economic guarantees from the US to revive a long-stalled 2015 nuclear deal so as “not to be stung twice” the same way, its foreign minister said.
French network operators could be forced to radically change their practices in deploying the fibre optic network if a bill tabled by Les Républicains Senator Patrick Chaize gets written into law.
Belgium has reached an initial accord with French utility group Engie to extend the use of nuclear power by 10 years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine forced the government to rethink plans to rely more on natural gas.
To reduce gas consumption, the German government announced on Thursday an energy security package including mandatory gas saving measures for companies and stricter regulations for the level of gas storage tanks.
In other news, if Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) were a part of all newborn screening programmes, many people could avoid irreversible disease progression, according to Marie-Christine Ouillade, a long-term advocate for SMA patients.
Meanwhile, the current digital gap between young and elderly people can offer an opportunity to enable more significant interactions and inter-generational cohesion, according to a recently published study.
In an exclusive interview for EURACTIV, Alexandre Ricard, CEO of Pernod Ricard, discussed the major issues and challenges facing the EU today, from supply chain disturbances to digitalisation and unemployment among young people.
Last but not least, check out the latest edition of the Tech Brief.
Look out for…
- Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides participates in the Second Summit of First Ladies and Gentlemen ‘Ukraine and the World: The Future We (Re)build Together’ on Saturday.
- Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders opens conference ‘Global challenges of the EU’ in San Sebastian, Spain, on Monday.
Views are the author’s.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic/Alice Taylor]
Source: euractiv.com
