Resource diplomacy: The EU’s Critical Raw Materials Partnerships with Africa

Details

Supervisors

Struye de Swielande, Tanguy

Faculty

Faculté des sciences économiques, sociales, politiques et de communication

Degree label

Master [120] en sciences politiques, orientation relations internationales, à finalité spécialisée: diplomatie et résolution des conflits

Abstract

enThe European Union (EU) is increasingly dependent on critical raw materials (CRMs) for its green and digital transitions. The EU has little to no domestic production of these materials, relying heavily on imports from countries like China. The EU has recently launched a new instrument to decrease its dependency and ensure the security of supply: The Clean Trade and Investment Partnerships (CTIPs). This thesis explores the research question: how far does EU policy towards Africa on critical raw materials represent a shift from extractive dependency to mutually beneficial green industrial partnership? The findings suggest that CTIP is not a revolutionary change, but rather a continuation of previous trends in a more comprehensive and integrated way, building upon three of EU's existing strategies to achieve its goals: the evolving relationship with Africa, its Critical Raw Materials policy, and the Clean Industrial Deal as a response to the Draghi Report.