EU-Africa climate tensions, COP29 reflections & tech sovereignty
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Negotiators at COP29 in Baku are still haggling on a new climate finance target to replace the $100 billion per year agreed upon in 2009. The problem seems to be who should be paying, even before tackling the exact amount. As often happens, the summit might be extended by a couple of days in the hope of returning home with some much-needed good news. Sadly, we are living in a phase of global politics where countries are increasingly inward-looking and fiercely protecting their narrow national interests. Some use global priorities like the fight against climate change as chips in card games between different groups of players.
When it comes to climate finance, tensions between developing countries and the EU are heightened by the perception that the EU is giving with one hand whilst taking with the other. Prime examples are the EU’s plans on deforestation and the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), a levy on carbon-intensive products entering the EU to address carbon leakage. While Europe sees it as a necessary element to achieve its green transition goals, developing countries view CBAM as a unilaterally imposed measure that risks disrupting their industrialisation plans. Our latest paper looks at CBAM and what lies ahead. Since the mechanism is here to stay, the paper assesses ways in which developing countries can respond to reduce its negative impact.
Meanwhile, China is trying to have it both ways on climate change. It wants to counter what it sees as ‘restrictive trade measures’, joining forces with the many players that use climate change as bargaining chips. At the same time, despite being the world’s largest polluter, China resists being inserted in another group of players: that of official climate finance donor countries. We recently analysed how China and the EU are perceived in African countries, focusing on their support to energy transition, and talked about the project in the French AfrikChine podcast.
Finally, we have translated our paper on cross-border data sharing in Africa to drive innovation and AI development into French and Portuguese. And I am always happy to re-share our interactive tool on data policies in African countries.
All the best,
Virginia Mucchi Head of outreach and impact at ECDPM
Editor’s pick
Bruce Byiers and Alfonso Medinilla argue that the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism has a crucial impact on developing economies and suggest four response strategies: decarbonise, emulate, challenge and avoid.
Highlights
Pauline Veron a rejoint Christian-Geraud Neema B. du Projet Afrique-Chine dans le podcast AfrikChine pour discuter de la perception africaine de la présence chinoise et européenne dans le secteur de la transition énergétique.
Le podcast est basé sur notre rapport ‘The EU and China in the Global South: Perspectives from African countries’.
Melody Musoni, Poorva Karkare et Chloe Teevan soutiennent que pour atteindre les objectifs de la Zone de libre-échange continentale africaine et pour stimuler l’innovation et le développement de l’IA, l’Afrique doit donner la priorité à l’utilisation des données et au partage transfrontalier des données. Cependant, les agendas nationaux sont souvent prioritaires, ce qui rend difficile la mise en ?uvre de la vision continentale.
Ce document est également disponible en anglais et en portugais / This paper is also available in English and in Portuguese / Este documento também está disponível em português e em inglês.
Events
11-22 NOVEMBER
COP29 is taking place in Baku.
21 NOVEMBER
EU trade ministers will meet in Brussels to discuss the future of EU trade policy, trade relations with the US and WTO reform.
25 NOVEMBER
25-29 NOVEMBER
The eighth edition of PIDA Week, dedicated to the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa, will take place in Addis Ababa.
25-26 NOVEMBER
ECDPM’s Lidet Tadesse will speak at Europe's Strategic Choices Conference 2024, organised by Chatham House.
26 NOVEMBER
We are hosting the launch of Peter Schwartzstein's book ‘The heat and the fury: On the frontlines of climate violence’ at our Brussels office.
领英推荐
26 NOVEMBER
ECDPM director San Bilal will speak at an event on partnerships with Africa, taking place at the Belgian Parliament and organised with Enabel and the Egmont Institute. He will contribute to a session on economic issues, the Global Gateway, critical raw materials and global public goods.
28 NOVEMBER
Lidet Tadesse will discuss the importance of the AU-EU partnership for multilateralism at an event focused on exploring the AU-EU partnership, organised by EUISS and UNU-CRIS in Brussels.
Other news
ECDPM SOCIAL HIGHLIGHTS
Chloe Teevan reflects on an ECDPM event on Europe’s tech sovereignty, focusing on how the EU links internal and external dimensions on digital transformation…
…and Cecilia D’Alessandro reports back from COP29, focusing on her events and discussions on food systems and agriculture
COP29
Who has been attending COP29 for the past 29 years? (Mira Rojanasakul, The New York Times)
At COP29, leaders have pledged to leverage digital technologies for climate action, while cutting tech manufacturing emissions and addressing e-waste (UN)
Are Africa’s priorities and vision being heard at COP29? (Dhesigen Naidoo, ISS)
The African group of negotiators has proposed a new climate goal of $1.3 trillion per year by 2030 (Bernard Mwinzi, The East African)
How to raise the money the world needs to support climate action (Creon Butler, Chatham House)
What multilateral development banks are doing well and what they need to improve in delivering climate finance to countries most in need (Natalia Alayza et al., WRI)
Nearly half of multilateral development banks’ 2023 climate finance went to Europe, not the most climate-vulnerable countries, with almost 80% focused on mitigation (Petra Kjell Wright for African Arguments)
Instead of prioritising high-income countries’ policies, the World Bank and similar institutions should focus on energy access for growth and adaptation (Ken Opalo for ‘An Africanist Perspective’)
The Loss and Damage Fund, previously seen as a climate justice victory, risks undermining support for developing countries and justifying its exclusion from future climate finance goals (Liane Schalatek for Project Syndicate)
Getting a new climate finance deal at COP29 this week hinges on three elements (Melanie Robinson, WRI)
MULTILATERALISM AND GEOPOLITICS
Negotiations on a new climate goal offer the EU a chance to demonstrate its reliability to the Global South (Svea Koch and Mariya Aleksandrova, IDOS)
In 2023, China's Belt and Road lending shifted to smaller projects, and its overseas energy finance is set to rebound with a focus on green projects (Jiaqi Lu et al., BU Global Development Policy Center)
Brazil, a middle power sharing EU values but with unique strengths, should be a top partnership priority for Brussels (Carla Hobbs, José Ignacio Torreblanca and Pawel Zerka, ECFR)
Why the BRICS summit in Kazan should be a wake-up call for the EU (Reinhold Brender, Egmont Institute)
South Africa’s G20 presidency in 2025 is a pivotal moment for the country and Africa (Mkhululi Chimoio, SAIIA)
One year after India secured the AU a seat at the G20, the relationship between India and Africa has not lived up to expectations (Barnaby Joseph Dye and Punkhuri Kumar for The Diplomat)
US ELECTIONS
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ECONOMY AND FINANCE
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SECURITY AND GOVERNANCE
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OTHER
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