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Africa-EU partnership post-COP27
(EurActiv, 28 Nov 2022) An alignment of positions between Africa and Europe at UN climate conferences would have a very good chance of adoption, writes Johan van den Berg.
Johan van den Berg is head of secretariat of the Africa-EU Energy Partnership.
Climate and energy are converging to the point of becoming indistinguishable. Moreover, the annual COP is becoming increasingly pre-eminent as the place and the time where the immediate future is sometimes determined, sometimes not. COP27 brought success on adaptation – but ambitions on mitigation are standing over for another year, to COP28.
In the background, there is a very close alignment between Africa and the EU on the visionary workstreams that will determine Africa´s energy future. These include the African Continental Power Systems Master Plan (CMP) and Africa Single Electricity Market (AfSEM), being pursued with the assistance of the EU, IRENA and others.
The Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) in its energy elements is likewise strongly supported by European actors.
In addition, the bicontinental partnership is entering a new phase with the Team Europe approach and a united front ready to implement new policy frameworks like the Africa-EU Green Energy Initiative (AEGEI) – implicitly inviting a united Team Africa to do the same.
EurActiv, 28 Nov 2022: Africa-EU partnership post-COP27
